Fracto-emission-induced electrical breakdown in vacuum

Electrical breakdown was induced in a vacuum directly across a crack. These breakdown events are explained in terms of fracto-emission (the emission of charged particles, neutral species and photons due to fracture) serving as a trigger which induced breakdown. The effect of creating a crack in a dielectric suspended between two electrodes, the dependence of the observed discharges on the magnitude of the applied voltage and on the nature of the fracto-emission, and the temporal relationship of the onset of breakdown to the fracture event were examined. The materials studied were polymethylmethacrylate and a Kevlar-fiber reinforced composite.<
>