Spatial Structure of the Branching Streamer Channels in a Corona Discharge

The dendritic structure of streamer channels in a corona discharge is described by using fractal theory. It is found that, for a needle–plane discharge, the fractal dimension of the plasma structure is D = 2.16 ± 0.05. The computed spatial distributions of the branching ratios are compared with the available experimental data. The influence of the branching processes on the distribution of chemically active radicals in streamer corona discharges is studied.