Numerical modeling of the electrical breakdown and discharge properties of laser-generated plasma channels

An extensive nonequilibrium steady-state kinetics model incorporating collisional and radiative processes is developed to study the electrical breakdown and discharge maintenance of laser-induced atmospheric plasma channels formed in externally applied electric fields. The model is based upon a self-consistent numerical solution of the Boltzmann equation for the electron energy distribution function coupled with the electron energy balance equation and the population balance equations for electrons and air species. Using the electron energy distribution function, the ionization and electron attachment rates as a function of the reduced applied electric field at different degrees of ionization are calculated. We find that the ionization rate as a function of applied electric field in a laser-induced plasma channel is orders of magnitude larger than that obtained for a natural atmospheric air discharge. Therefore, the electrical breakdown of these plasma channels may occur at significantly lower applied electric fields. The present model predicts a breakdown electric field of 10 kV/cm, while the experimentally determined breakdown field strength is similar to 5.7 kV/cm [A. P. Baronavski , NRL Memorandum Report No. NRL/MR/6110-02-8642, 2002 (unpublished)], a reduction of about a factor of 5 from the natural Paschen electrical breakdown field of similar to 30 kV/cm.