Light emission in a laser-initiated transient glow discharge in argon and air with butane

By observing light emissions from flares, we systematically investigated transient phenomena from glow to arc discharges under designated durations. To describe properly the discharge flare behavior, we introduced a parameter ν_a defined as (electrode gap)/(flare traveling time). The main findings are as follows. The parameter ν_a is proportional to the initial electrode voltage. The maximum value of ν_a is obtained at a certain gas pressure and it falls on the Paschen curve. The flare behavior follows Townsend’s theory at each instant, therefore, it is governed by the state of the electrolytic dissociation of the gas. © 2004 American Institute of Physics.