Periodic Electrodynamic Field of Dielectric Barrier Discharge

The periodic electrodynamic field of a dielectric barrier discharge is investigated via a physical-based model and solved by rigorous boundary conditions associated with the Maxwell equations for electromagnetics in the time domain. The global motion of charged particles in the form of a succession of random micro discharges is described by the drift-diffusion theory. The plasma generation process of the dielectric barrier discharge is still mainly the result of avalanche growth of electrons produced by the secondary emission on the cathode. This phenomenon together with the charged particles accumulation on the electrode will be demonstrated in a two-dimensional simulation as the principal mechanism for generating the so-called electric wind. Through the present approach, the self-limiting characteristic of dielectric barrier discharge for preventing corona-to-spark transition is convincingly demonstrated