On the theory of the spark plasma in nanosecond light sources and fast spark-gap switches

Abstract

In papers on nanosecond gas discharge light sources there has been no theoretical approach capable of describing the dependence of the half-width and the maximum power of the optical pulse on the many parameters which can be varied. On the basis of the theory of Weizel and Rompe (1947) extended to thermal plasmas, the author predicts at least the electric behaviour of the spark discharge in low-inductance circuits normally used for the generation of nanosecond light pulses.

Discharge character and optical emission in a laser ablation nanosecond discharge enhanced silicon plasma

“…9 as well. In an equivalent RLC discharge circuit here, [25][26][27][28] the equivalent resistance R of the gap is small, using the tted values of R and L of the circuit, the oscillating frequency is approximately reversely proportional to the square root of the capacitance C, which is consistent with the observed results.…”

“…In LA-FPDPS, the discharge occurs at a voltage lower than the gap self-breakdown voltage and the discharge does not initiate without LA. Electrically, the spark discharge can be characterized as a combination of time dependent resistance and inductance in series, 25,26 and the performance of LA-FPDPS is actually dependent on the electric circuit parameters. In real experiments, the properties of the spark discharge depend on the circuit inductance, the shape of the electrodes, the interelectrode distance (i.e.…”