Facilitating breakdown in noble gases at near-atmospheric pressure using antennas

A Sobota (1) , M F Gendre (2) , F Manders (2) , E M van Veldhuizen (1) , M Haverlag (1, 2)

1 Department of Applied Physics [Eindhoven]
2 Philips Lighting

Electrical breakdown in near-atmospheric pressure noble gasses requires voltages that are quite high, which is undesirable for a large number of possible applications. Metallic structures (antennas) were used on the outer side of the lamp burner to enhance the electric field locally while keeping the same potential difference across the electrodes. Optical and electrical measurements were performed in an argon or xenon atmosphere at 0.3 or 0.7 bar, with 4 or 7 mm between the electrode tips. We used rod-shaped tungsten electrodes of 0.6 mm in diameter. We found that both active and passive antennas facilitate breakdown, and we demonstrated the differences between the two types and their effects on the breakdown process.

Mots clés: Physical Sciences

A Sobota, M F Gendre, F Manders, E M van Veldhuizen, M Haverlag. Facilitating breakdown in noble gases at near-atmospheric pressure using antennas. Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, 2011, 44 (15), pp.155205. ⟨10.1088/0022-3727/44/15/155205⟩. ⟨hal-00613263⟩