Super power avalanche discharge

Formation of nanosecond discharges in air under atmospheric pressure at different voltage pulse polarities and various discharge gap geometry has been investigated. It has been shown that in a wide range of experimental conditions at high voltage nanosecond pulses used, electrode construction or voltage pulse polarity have no essential effect on volume character of a discharge. With negative voltage pulses applied to a potential electrode, no matter what construction it has, X-ray radiation is being recorded both from anode surface and volume. Under a voltage pulse of positive polarity, X-ray radiation is recorded with the lower intensity. It has been shown that with subnanosecond voltage pulse rise time and a discharge of diffusion character, X-ray radiation is observed fiom a brightly glowing corona discharge area. The mean energies and velocities of fast electrons in nitrogen have been calculated. It was shown that head-on collisions establish the fact that the mean velocity of a group of fast electrons is permanent. These head-on collisions of electrons lead to emission of X-ray radiation from a volume.