The calculation of electric field for low pressure discharge in air from DC parameters

The low pressure discharge electric field in air is calculated in this paper by use of the diffusion-controlled model. In order to obtain a simple calculating method the basic parameters of gas discharge at DC field are used, and then the detailed calculation process and results of the microwave discharge electric field are given. Using the free diffusion coefficient of the electron and the ambipolar diffusion coefficient, the microwave breakdown electric field and the extinction electric field are calculated respectively. The calculation results are consistent with the experimental results of literature. The calculation results show that the effective DC electric field and the average electron temperature are independent of the frequency, they are a function of the product of the pressure and the characteristic diffusion length. However, both the microwave breakdown electric field and the extinction electric field are not a function of the product of the pressure and the characteristic diffusion length, they are subject to the pressure, the microwave frequency and the characteristic diffusion length respectively.