A selection of reports presented at the VIII International Conference on Ultrafast Optical Phenomena UltrafastLight-2024

The main features of plasma channel formation in a high-voltage atmospheric discharge

Ch. T. Smaznova, M. A. Medvedev, S. Yu. Gavrilov, A. V. Oginov

P. N. Lebedev Physical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow

Abstract: A highly sensitive diagnosis of the structure of a laboratory high-voltage atmospheric discharge near the cathode region in an experimental installation with an applied voltage of about 1 MV at a discharge current of up to 12 kA is presented. The electrodes are presented in a configuration – a point cathode placed inside a cone with a smooth rim, and a hemispherical mesh anode. The gap between the electrodes is 0.6 m, the total duration of the voltage pulse is about 1 microsecond with a pulse rise time of 150-200 ns. The discharge was studied using interferometry and shadow photography at two wavelengths (532 and 1064 nm). Diagnostics allows to achieve high resolution of both spatial (tens of microns) and temporal parameters (tens of ns).

Keywords: atmospheric discharge, laser diagnostics, plasma dynamics, electron density profile.

Received: 13.12.2024