Investigation of positive streamers by double-pulse experiments, effects of repetition rate and gas mixture

Streamer discharges are often operated in a repetitively pulsed mode and are therefore influenced by species left over from the previous discharge, especially free electrons and ions. We have investigated these effects by applying two consecutive positive high voltage pulses of 200–700 ns duration to a point-plane gap in artificial air, pure nitrogen, other nitrogen–oxygen mixtures and pure argon at pressures between 67 and 533 mbar. The pulses had pulse-to-pulse intervals (Δt) between 200 ns and 40 ms. We imaged both discharges with two ICCD cameras and combined this to a compound image. We observe for values of Δt below 0.5–15 µs (at 133 mbar, with Δt depending on gas mixture) that during the second pulse the streamers continue the paths of the first-pulse streamers. We call the maximal time for which this continuation still occurs the continuation time. For N₂–O₂ mixtures, this time has a maximum at an oxygen concentration of about 0.2%. According to our plasma-chemical modelling this maximum is determined by the electron loss rate which has a minimum around this oxygen concentration. Depending on oxygen concentration the dominant recombining positive ion is N₄⁺, O₂⁺ or O₄⁺ where O₂⁺ dominates around 0.2% O₂ and recombines slowest. For increasing values of Δt we observe that after the continuation phase first no new streamers occur at all, then new streamers show up that avoid the entire pre-ionized region. Next we see new thin streamers that follow the edges of the old channels. For larger Δt (10–200 µs) the new streamers start to increase in size and move to the centre of the old channels. Finally, around millisecond timescales the new channels are completely independent of the old channels. Together this points to the combination of two mechanisms: streamers search the proximity of regions with increased electron density, but cannot penetrate regions with very high electron density. (paper)