Radial Evolution of the Atmospheric Pressure Glow Discharge in Helium Controlled by Dielectric Barrier

The radial evolution of atmospheric pressure glow discharge in helium is presented by numerical simulation. The calculations reveal the mechanism of two current peaks per half cycle. The first breakdown occurs firstly in the central region of the electrode, and then spreads to the edge, while the second breakdown ignites at the periphery firstly, and then propagates toward the discharge central region. The simulations indicate that radial electric fields and radial sheath play an important role in the evolution of the second peak. These results agree fundamentally with the experimental observations.