Experimental study of a low-pressure glow discharge in air in large-diameter discharge tubes: I. Conditions for the normal regime of a glow discharge

The initiation and characteristics of a low-pressure glow discharge in air in large-diameter discharge tubes are studied. A deviation from the Paschen law is observed: the breakdown curves Udc(pL) shift toward the higher values of Udc and pL as the interelectrode distance L increases. It is shown that the normal regime of a glow discharge is accompanied by gas ionization in the anode sheath. This takes place only for pL values lying to the right of the inflection point in the breakdown curve. The cathode-sheath characteristics in the normal and abnormal regimes of an air discharge for a duralumin cathode are determined. The axial profiles of the ion density, electron temperature, and plasma potential, as well as the anode voltage drop, are measured at various air pressures