Helical streamers guided by surface electromagnetic standing waves

Abstract

Abstract The streamer that is driven by the specific pulse DC discharge parameters can stably form a three-dimensional helical plasma channel in a long dielectric tube in the low-temperature plasma experiment, in cases when there were neither external background magnetic field or other factors that destroyed the poloidal symmetry of the tube. The formation mechanism and chirality of helical streamers are discussed according to the surface electromagnetic standing wave theory. The shape of the helical streamers and the characteristics of helical branches are quantitatively analyzed to further expand the application of plasma and streamer theory in the helix problem and chiral catalytic synthesis.