Long electrical spark discharges have been directed through air along predetermined paths defined by a concentrated laser beam. At apparent optical power densities of 50–100 giga W/cm2, 35‐nsec half‐width laser pulses at 10 600 Å have been effective in channeling streamer discharges from a 350‐kV positively charged electrode for distances up to 28 cm in a total streamer length of 71 cm. The average E field required to obtain a discharge between electrodes was reduced from 7.3 to 5.5 kV/cm with the laser powers employed.
Topics
Streamer discharge
© 1971 The American Institute of Physics.
1971
The American Institute of Physics
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