SPACE-CHARGE INJECTION: A NEW TECHNIQUE FOR STUDYING NONUNIFORM FIELD BREAKDOWN PHENOMENA

Abstract

The pulse of a Q‐switched ruby laser operated below the threshold for spark formation and focused in a point‐plane gap can profoundly affect the development of impulse corona for times up to 1 sec. This effect can be strongly modified by the application of a small (10 V/mm) dc field across the gap. With a positive impulse to the point and a negative dc field, a change of 10 μsec in the delay time between charge injection and application of the voltage impulse can change the probability of gap flash‐over from near zero to greater than 90%.