Two-dimensional numerical simulation of the splitting and uniting of current-carrying zones in a dielectric barrier discharge

In this paper, the splitting and uniting of the current-carrying zones in a dielectric barrier discharge are investigated at atmospheric pressure, and the motion of such zone is also referred while the discharge is developing. These phenomena are examined by the two-dimensional computational simulation with uniform initial conditions. The generation and annihilation of such zones are discussed according to the simulation results. The charges accumulated on the barrier surface are shown to play a dominant role in the global spatial-temporal evolution of filamentary discharge. (c) 2005 American Institute of Physics.