Study on Q-V Lissajous figures in nanosecond-pulsed surface discharge

Surface dielectric barrier discharges excited by high nanosecond voltage pulses are a promising approach for producing plasma required by airflow control. Charge transport is an important parameter of discharge characteristics, and the discharge energy can be obtained using an electric charge - gap voltage (Q-V) Lissajous figure. Based on a repetitive nanosecond-pulse generator, the characteristics of Q-V Lissajous figures in surface discharge in atmospheric air were investigated in this paper. Results showed that typical Q-V Lissajous figure was like an ellipse and the characteristic of the Lissajous figure varied with the discharge parameters. Both transport charge and energy in single pulse are in proportion to applied voltage amplitude. The energy obtained by Lissajous figure is always lower than by V-I-t integration, and the average power was able to reach hundred milli-watts while the instantaneous power was able to reach tens of kilo-watts. The applied voltage played a more important role in the uniformity of surface plasmas.