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arXiv · 0712.2774

Interaction of streamers in air and other oxygen-nitrogen mixtures

A. Luque·U. Ebert·W. Hundsdorfer
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Abstract

The interaction of streamers in nitrogen-oxygen mixtures such as air is studied. First, an efficient method for fully three-dimensional streamer simulations in multiprocessor machines is introduced. With its help, we find two competing mechanisms how two adjacent streamers can interact: through electrostatic repulsion and through attraction due to nonlocal photo-ionization. The non-intuitive effects of pressure and of the nitrogen-oxygen ratio are discussed. As photo-ionization is experimentally difficult to access, we finally suggest to measure it indirectly through streamer interactions.

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A. Luque, U. Ebert, W. Hundsdorfer. 2008-05-13. Interaction of streamers in air and other oxygen-nitrogen mixtures. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.101.075005

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