Streamer branching in transient nonuniform short gap discharges using numerical modeling

Images of streamer propagation and branching are presented in a short-point plane gap in air at atmospheric pressure. The results are obtained by employing a finite-element flux corrected transport (FE-FCT) algorithm in conjunction with a subgridding scheme for the efficient and accurate calculation of secondary effects during streamer development and propagation. The significant reduction in time required for the calculations makes numerical modeling a useful tool for a better understanding of physical processes, such as branching, that are central to the propagation and development of streamers.