Transition from Trichel-pulse corona to dielectric barrier discharge

An investigation was undertaken to examine the influence that thin circular solid dielectric barriers placed on the planar anode surface have on the stochastic behavior of Trichel pulses. It is shown that charging of the dielectric surface by the corona discharge introduces another memory effect that becomes increasingly significant as the point-to-plane gap spacing is reduced. At a sufficiently short gap distance, the charge on the dielectric causes the field at the point electrode to drop below the level required to sustain a corona discharge and at that point Trichel pulses cease