Percolation simulation of laser-guided electrical discharges

Area of Science:

• Physics
• Plasma Physics
• Computational Physics

Background:

• Laser-guided discharges are crucial for applications like lightning protection and plasma channel formation.
• Understanding the complex, stochastic behavior of these discharges is essential for controlling them.
• Existing models often simplify the intricate interplay between local electric fields and remote ionization effects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and present a three-dimensional simulation of laser-guided discharges.
• To incorporate both local streamer growth and leader propagation via remote ionization.
• To investigate the factors influencing the probability of guiding these discharges.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing a percolation-based model for three-dimensional simulation.
• Including local growth mechanisms driven by enhanced electric fields at streamer tips.
• Modeling leader propagation through remote ionization, specifically considering runaway electrons.
• Reproducing the stochastic nature of discharge propagation within a preformed plasma channel.

Main Results:

• The simulation successfully reproduces complex discharge paths, including detouring and bifurcation.
• The model captures the stochastic behavior inherent in discharges through preformed plasma channels.
• The study analyzes the relationship between the ionized, conductive fraction of the channel and the probability of guiding.

Conclusions:

• The presented percolation-based model provides a robust framework for simulating laser-guided discharges.
• The findings highlight the importance of both local and remote ionization processes in discharge propagation.
• Guiding probability is shown to be dependent on the conductive properties of the plasma channel.