Breakdown development at high overvoltage: Electric field, electronic level excitation and electron density

A detailed study of gas breakdown in the form of a fast ionization wave has been carried out. Measurements of charge distribution dynamics and the spectroscopic registration of N₂(C³Π_u, v′ = 0) and N⁺₂(B²∑;⁺_u, v′ = 0) excited levels have been performed simultaneously in air in the pressure range 0.1-16 Torr. A method to obtain the longitudinal component of the electric field in the ionization wave front and the electron density following it is proposed. This method includes charge dynamics registration, taking into account the space sensitivity function of the detector. The registration is coupled to a computational procedure of inverse problem solving to obtain the real charge distribution. An analysis of the electric field, electronic level excitation and electron concentration behaviour is presented.