Successive Nanosecond Discharges in Water

Successive discharges of alternating polarities in distilled water have been studied. Cathode-initiated discharges develop in two possible configurations: slow and weakly luminescent bushlike mode or fast and luminous treelike mode with well-pronounced branching. Under our experimental conditions, the two modes originate with approximately equal probability. Positive discharge demonstrates only one discharge morphology with two hemispherical weakly luminescent structures. Successive negative pulse results in the formation of one of the negative modes, bushlike or treelike.