Influences of the pulsed power supply on corona streamer appearance

Pulsed positive corona streamers in air are studied by images obtained with an intensified CCD camera. Using a switched capacitor power supply, thin streamers are observed that branch. A power supply consisting of a 4-stage transmission line transformer gives pulses of much higher current to the same gap. In this case, the number of streamers is less, they are wider and they hardly branch. The current density is roughly 1 A/mm2 in both type of streamers