Comparison of Plasma Parameters of Plasma Diffuse Jets and Red Columnar Sprites

Abstract

The last decades much attention has been paid to the study of pulse discharges that are observed in the Earth’s atmosphere. For experimental modeling of these discharges, a setup based on discharge chamber made of quartz tubes with an internal diameter of 5 cm and different lengths were used. The generator produced voltage pulses with a duration of 1.5 µs at a repetition rate up to 21 kHz. The studies were carried out for discharge combustion modes in which plasma diffuse jets (PDJs) consisting of sequentially propagating streamers (ionization waves) were formed in the tube. The radiation spectra of PDJs’ plasma at air pressures of 0.02–2 Torr were recorded in the range of 250–1000 nm. These data were used to determine the electron temperature and the reduced electric field strength in different discharge regions. In addition, the voltage across a gap and discharge current through it were also measured. Propagation velocities of PDJs’ fronts were determined. Research with various PDJs implementations has shown the possibility of modeling some properties of columnar sprites. The results can be used as additional information about various factors that affect the properties of sprites.