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The paper presents research data on positive and negative coronas in atmospheric pressure air in a highly inhomogeneous electric field. The data show that irrespective of the polarity of pointed electrodes placed in a high electric field (>200 kV/cm), this type of discharge develops via spherical streamers even if the gap voltage rises slowly (£0.2 kV/ms). The start voltage of first positive streamers, compared to negative ones, is higher and the amplitude and the frequency of their current pulses are much lower: about two times and more than two orders of magnitude, respectively. The higher frequency of current pulses from negative spherical streamers provides higher average currents and larger luminous regions of negative coronas compared to positive ones. Positive and negative cylindrical streamers from a pointed to a plane electrode are detected and successive discharge transitions at both polarities are identified.

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