Measurement of the positive streamer charge

Positive streamer discharges with one discharge event are produced in a quasi-uniform electric field by applying a square impulse voltage on the trigger electrode. Voltage, current and luminosity associated to streamer discharges are measured simultaneously. By placing a photographic film at the cathode, the number of individual streamers hitting the cathode has been estimated. It is calculated that each individual streamer channel contains a charge represented by an excess of 1.1-2.0×10⁸ positive ions per mm. This charge has also been calculated using a simplified streamer model