How short is the runaway electron flow in an air electrode gap?

We present and analyze characteristics of the runaway electron flow in a high-voltage (the voltage rise rate of up to 1.5 MV/ns) air-filled electrode gap with a strongly nonuniform electric field. It is demonstrated that such a flow contains a high-energy electron component of duration not more than...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied physics letters 2020-02, Vol.116 (6)
Main Authors: Mesyats, G. A., Yalandin, M. I., Zubarev, N. M., Sadykova, A. G., Sharypov, K. A., Shpak, V. G., Shunailov, S. A., Ulmaskulov, M. R., Zubareva, O. V., Kozyrev, A. V., Semeniuk, N. S.
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:We present and analyze characteristics of the runaway electron flow in a high-voltage (the voltage rise rate of up to 1.5 MV/ns) air-filled electrode gap with a strongly nonuniform electric field. It is demonstrated that such a flow contains a high-energy electron component of duration not more than 10 ps. According to numerical simulations, runaway electron generation/termination is governed by impact ionization of the gas near the cathode and switching on/off a critical (sufficient for electrons to run away) electric field at the boundary of the expanding cathode plasma. The corresponding characteristic time estimated to be 2–3 ps is defined by the ionization rate at a critical field.
ISSN:0003-6951
1077-3118
DOI:10.1063/1.5143486