THE ROLE OF THE FIELD-EFFECT EMISSION IN TRICHEL PULSE DEVELOPMENT INAIR AT ATMOSPHERIC-PRESSURE

Several theories have been proposed to explain the current pulse of Tr ichel, at low pressure, in accordance with experimental results. Never theless, these theories failed to explain the very fast rise time (a f ew nanoseconds) observed at high pressure. The aim of this study is to propose a numerical simulation of the Trichel pulse which explains th e typical current shape observed in air at atmospheric pressure in ter ms of field-effect emission. This theory explains the principal mechan isms responsible for the formation of Trichel purses and takes into ac count the cathode material and its surface state. The effects of the f ield magnification factor on the pulse shape resulting from cathode mi croprotrusions are discussed. In the same way, the value of the discha rge channel's radius is also discussed and compared with the experimen tal measurements.