Investigation of post-discharge processes in nitrogen at low pressure

The processes which are a consequence of neutral active particles presence in post-discharge nitrogen-filled tube at 13.3 mbar pressure have been analyzed. The analysis has been performed based on the experimental data of electrical breakdown time delay as a function of afterglow period τ. The most significant parameters such as applied voltage, discharge current, time, and exposure to radiation have been varied. It has been shown that the increase in applied voltage and discharge time, as well as exposure to UV radiation, leads to the decrease of the mean value of electrical breakdown time delay td. This decrease occurs for τ>70 ms, when N(4S) atoms play a dominant role in breakdown initiation. The increase in discharge current leads to the decrease of td values for τ≤70 ms, when positive ions dominantly induce breakdown. The most important reactions which lead to formation of positive ions and neutral active particles are also presented in the paper.