Title :
Computational Studies of Filamentary Pattern Formation in a High Power Microwave Breakdown Generated Air Plasma
Author :
Chaudhury, Bhaskar ; Boeuf, Jean-Pierre
Author_Institution :
Lab. Plasma et Conversion d´´Energie (LAPLACE), Univ. de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
Abstract :
Simulations of the dynamics of high power microwave breakdown of air at atmospheric pressure and 110 GHz are presented. The model reproduces well the formation and motion of filamentary plasma arrays observed experimentally with fast camera imaging. The numerical model is based on finite-difference time domain solutions of Maxwell equations coupled with a simple fluid description of the plasma growth and diffusion. The computational procedure is discussed in details along with numerical experiments, to show the sensitivity of the results to different numerical parameters.
Keywords :
Maxwell equations; atmospheric pressure; finite difference time-domain analysis; pattern formation; plasma simulation; plasma transport processes; Maxwell equations; air plasma; atmospheric pressure; computational studies; fast camera imaging; filamentary pattern formation; finite-difference time domain solutions; frequency 110 GHz; high power microwave breakdown dynamics; numerical model; plasma diffusion; plasma growth; Atmospheric modeling; Atmospheric-pressure plasmas; Cameras; Computational modeling; Electric breakdown; Equations; Finite difference methods; High power microwave generation; Ionization; Mathematical model; Microwave generation; Numerical models; Pattern formation; Plasma simulation; Plasmas; Power generation; Time domain analysis; Air plasma; finite-difference time domain (FDTD); fluid model; high power microwave (HPM); microwave breakdown; plasma array; plasma filaments; plasma modeling; plasma propagation; streamers;
Journal_Title :
Plasma Science, IEEE Transactions on
DOI :
10.1109/TPS.2010.2055893
