Evolutions and instabilities of repetitively pulsed streamer discharge

Repetitively pulsed streamer discharges, both in the gas gap and along the solid dielectric surface, are preferred in various plasma-enabled applications, such as the plasma-assisted combustion, gas conversion, and antimicrobial treatment in open air. The application efficiencies are highly related to evolutions and instabilities of streamer discharges under high-frequency pulses. This report reviews our recent research progress on evolutions and instabilities of repetitively pulsed streamer discharges, including the effects of humid air on streamer discharge behaviors, the electric field diagnostics based on the electric field induced secondary harmonic generation (E-FISH), and the modulation of surface streamer behaviors based on the intentional residual charge release. Effects of air humidity on the evolutions of streamer discharges include the increased electron loss and more pronounced gas heating, which can be regarded as an important discharge memory effect agent. The electric field evolutions inside a single streamer filament have been obtained. Meanwhile, the air humidity affects the electric field in the secondary steamer stage. The discharge propagations along the solid dielectric are determined by residual charges both in the gas gap and trapped at the solid surface. The low-energy pulsed laser has been proven to release these trapped charges and affects the following discharge behavior.