On Modeling Plasma Channels With a Single-Wire\ Transmission Line

We analyze the applicability of the single-wire transmission line model to plasma channels of lightning leaders and laboratory long spark discharges, as well as laser filaments created by powerful femtosecond laser pulses in the Earth’s atmosphere. The differences of the parameters of linear electromagnetic waves in such channels, which are obtained in the model of a single-wire transmission line, from similar parameters obtained in the models of coaxial and two-wire transmission lines are determined. Telegraph equations are proposed for the single-wire transmission line model, and the dependence of the parameters of the telegraph equations on the parameters of the plasma channels is analyzed.