From submicrosecond to nanosecond pulsed atmospheric pressure plasmas

The pulsed excitation of a discharge is investigated in this study for large-scale low-temperature plasma generation. A uniform glow-like discharge is obtained by reducing the duration of the discharge down to 10 ns with an instantaneous power in excess of 1 MW/m². Optical emission spectrum show changes in the electron energy distribution function which is consistent with kinetic analysis based on particle-in-cell Monte Carlo collision simulations. Simulation results evidence the non-equilibrium character of the discharge and provide additional information on the kinetics of energetic particles (electrons and ions).