Streamer to spark transition in supercritical N2

We model the streamer to spark transition in supercritical nitrogen as this is a promising medium for electrical switching. We assume that the streamer has bridged the gap and that a weakly ionized channel with a constant field has formed. We model how the discharge energy is transferred from kinetic energy of electrons into particular molecular excitations and further into gas heating, and how the thermal expansion of the discharge channel sets in.