The mechanism of spark breakdown in air at atmospheric pressure between a positive point and plane. II. Theoretical: Computer simulation of the streamer track

Based on a model which was experimentally established, a numerical simulation is presented of the spatiotemporal evolution of electron density, current, and electrical field in the filamentary streamer track. The attachment process is taken into account in the continuity equation for electrons and the Poisson’s equation is simplified using a coefficient of capacity per unit length. Boundary conditions for the filament are deduced (i) from experimental measurements on the primary streamer and (ii) by assuming a constant cathode fall for the experimentally found cathode region. The results show good agreement between calculation and experiment for both currents and streak photograph.