Two dimensional modeling of ionization waves in a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) in Nitrogen at atmospheric pressure

The formation and propagation of ionization waves (streamers) in the filamentary mode of a barrier discharge in Nitrogen at atmospheric pressure is examined. The role of photoemission as well as of photoionization is analysed via a two dimensional finite element flux corrected transport (FEM-FCT) model. Numerical investigations show how the photoemission coefficient influences the formation and propagation of ionization waves into the gas gap. In addition, an attempt is made to elucidate the way the streamer interacts with the dielectric basically by considering the surface charge accumulation in the dielectric material.