Spatiotemporal variations of the electrical potential on surface dielectric barrier discharges

Abstract

Abstract In this study, the temporal variation of an electric potential distribution was measured in a surface dielectric barrier discharge experiment using the Pockels effect. A branching pattern and homogeneous distribution were respectively observed when positive and negative voltages were applied. When continuous alternating current was applied to the electrode, the spatial distributions of the electric potential significantly changed between the first and subsequent discharge cycles. The results indicate that the electrostatic repulsive forces caused by the residual charges on the dielectric surface affect the dynamic patterns of the discharge morphology.