Journal of Radio Electronics. eISSN 1684-1719. 2025. ¹11
Full text in Russian (pdf)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.30898/1684-1719.2025.11.20
17th International Conference
Gas Discharge Plasmas and Their Applications
Ekaterinburg, Russia, 8-12 September 2025
TOWNSEND STAGE OF NEGATIVE CORONA DISCHARGE
E.Kh. Baksht, A.G. Burachenko, A.N. Panchenko
Institute of High Current Electronics SB RAS,
634055, Russia, Tomsk, Akademichesky Ave., 2/3
The article was received October 2, 2025.
Abstract. Low-current Townsend stage of negative corona discharge in air and conditions of its occurrence were studied. This stage can occur in the range of applied voltage lower than the voltage characteristic for Trichel pulse generation. Effect of various factors on the Townsend stage occurrence was studied. Experimental conditions facilitating observation and study of the Townsend stage were found. Current-voltage characteristic of the Townsend stage of the corona discharge was obtained, and photographs of the glow of this stage were taken. An explanation was proposed for the causes of occurrence or absence of the Townsend stage during ignition of a negative corona discharge.
Keywords: negative corona, Trichel pulses, dark Townsend discharge.
Financing: This work was carried out using financial support from the Russian Science Foundation (project No. 25-29-00131).
Corresponding author: Baksht Evgenii Khaimovich, beh@loi.hcei.tsc.ru
References
1. Trichel G.W. The mechanism of the negative point to plane corona near onset // Phys. Rev. – 1938. – vol. 54. – No. 12. – pp. 1078-1084. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRev.54.1078
2. Loeb L., Kip A., Hudson G., and Benett W. Pulses in negative point-to-plane corona. // Phys. Rev. – 1941. – vol. 60. – pp. 714-722. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRev.60.714
3. English W.N., Loeb L.B. Point‐to‐Plane Corona Onsets // J. Appl. Phys. – 1949. – vol. 20. – No. 7. – pp. 707-711. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1698512
4. Bandel H.W. Point-to-plane corona in dry air // Phys. Rev. – 1951. – vol. 84. – No. 1. – pp. 92-99. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRev.84.92
5. Korge H., Laan M., Paris P. On the formation of negative coronas // Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics. – 1993. – vol. 26. – No. 2. – pp. 231-236. https://doi.org/10.1088/0022-3727/26/2/010
6. Zhang Y., Qin Y., Zhao G., and Ouyang J. Time-resolved analysis and optical diagnostics of Trichel corona in atmospheric air // Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics. – 2016. – vol. 49. – No. 24. – p. 245206. https://doi.org/10.1088/0022-3727/49/24/245206
7. Zhang, Y., Xia, Q., Jiang, Z., and Ouyang J. Trichel pulse in various gases and the key factor for its formation. // Sci. Rep. – 2017. – vol. 7. – No. 1. – p. 10135. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-10118-2
8. He Y., Sun A., Zhang X., Xue J., and Zhang G. Effect of trace SF6 on negative corona characteristics in SF6/N2 gas mixtures under DC voltages // AIP Advances. – 2020. – vol. 10. – No. 8. – p. 085303. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0013024
9. He Y., Sun A., Xue J. et al. Experimental study on pulse characteristics of negative corona discharge in SF6/N2 gas mixtures under DC voltages //AIP Advances. – 2020. – vol. 10. – No. 5. – p. 055027. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0002811
10. Ferreira N.G.C., Almeida P.G.C., Taher A.E. et al. Numerical investigation of stability of low-current needle-to-plane negative corona discharges in air // arXiv preprint arXiv:2506.06744. – 2025. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2506.06744
11. Akishev Y., Grushin M., Kochetov I. et al. Negative corona, glow and spark discharges in ambient air and transitions between them // Plasma Sources Science and Technology. – 2005. – vol. 14. – No. 2. – pp. S18-S25. https://doi.org/10.1088/0963-0252/14/2/S03
12. Baksht E.H., Tarasenko V.F. Instability of the Trichel Pulse Mode in a Corona Discharge // Russian Physics Journal. – 2024. – vol. 67. – No. 8. – pp. 1260-1265. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11182-024-03240-y
13. Petrov A.A., Amirov R. Kh., Korostylev E.V., Samoilov I.S. Study of cathode erosion in negative corona discharge // Proceedings of MIPT. – 2013. – vol. 5. No. 1. pp. 72-79. (In Russian).
14. Mesyats G.A., Vasenina I.V. Characterization of nanosecond diffuse-channel discharges in atmospheric air // Plasma Physics Reports. – 2021. – vol. 47. – pp. 907-911. https://doi.org/10.1134/S1063780X2109004X
15. Kadyrmetov A.M., Kashapov N.F., Sharifullin S.N. et al. Efficiency of surface cleaning by a glow discharge for plasma spraying coating // IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering. – IOP Publishing, 2016. – vol. 134. – No. 1. – P. 012010. https://doi.org/10.1088/1757-899X/134/1/012010
16. Aronsson B.O., Lausmaa J., Kasemo B. Glow discharge plasma treatment for surface cleaning and modification of metallic biomaterials // Journal of Biomedical Materials Research: An Official Journal of The Society for Biomaterials and The Japanese Society for Biomaterials. – 1997. – vol. 35. – No. 1. – pp. 49-73. https://doi.org/10.1002/(sici)1097-4636(199704)35:1%3C49::aid-jbm6%3E3.0.co;2-m
17. Arustamov V.N., Ashurov R. KH., Rotchtein V.M. et al. Cleaning the surface of products with glow discharge plasma // Journal of Physics: Conference Series. – 2020. – vol. 1686. – p. 012013. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1686/1/012013
18. Mesyats G.A. Ectons. Part 2. – Ekaterinburg: Nauka, 1994. 247 p. (In Russian).
19. Malter L. Thin film field emission // Physical Review. – 1936. – vol. 50. – No. 1. – pp. 48-58. – https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRev.50.48
20. Momose Y. Exoemission from processed solid surfaces and gas adsorption. – Berlin/Heidelberg, Germany : Springer, 2023. 234 p.
21. Meleka A.H., Barr W. A Possible Origin of Exo-Electron Emission in Plastically Deformed Metals // Nature. – 1960. – vol. 187. – No. 4733. – pp. 232-233. https://doi.org/10.1038/187232a0
22. Delchar T.A. Exo‐Electron Emission during Oxygen Chemisorption at Clean Nickel Surfaces // Journal of Applied Physics. – 1967. – vol. 38. – No. 5. – pp. 2403-2404. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1709905
23. Korolev Yu.D., Mesyats G.A. Autoemission and explosive processes in a gas discharge. – Novosibirsk: Nauka, 1982. 256 p. (In Russian).
For citation:
Baksht E.Kh., Burachenko A.G., Panchenko A.N. Townsend stage of negative corona discharge in atmospheric air // Journal of Radio Electronics. – 2025. – ¹. 11. https://doi.org/10.30898/1684-1719.2025.11.20