Discharge Formation in Air at Atmospheric Pressure in Surface Barrier Microdischarge Arrangements

Surface barrier discharges in air at atmospheric pressure are investigated in different needle electrode arrangements suited for the repetitive generation of single microdischarges. The microdischarge inception takes place at the tip of a needle electrode, and the pathways of discharge channels are determined by the initial electric field configuration even when microdischarges should have accumulated surface charges on the dielectric.