Re: Why do streamers happen?

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: Bert Hickman <bert.hickman-at-aquila-dot-net> 

Tesla list wrote:
>Original poster: "Antonio Carlos M. de Queiroz" <acmq-at-compuland-dot-com.br>
>Tesla list wrote:
>  >
>  > Original poster: Bert Hickman <bert.hickman-at-aquila-dot-net>
>  > The current that flows within the leaders and streamers are "displacement
>  > currents". While displacement currents are most often associated with
>  > charging/discharging capacitors, they flow whenever an electrical field is
>  > being redistributed within a dielectric. Leaders and streamers are a
>  > manifestation of electrical charge being rapidly redistributed between the
>  > surrounding space charges (or previously uncharged regions) and the HV
>  > terminal.
>The currents in streamers are real currents. Electrons (and ions) are
>moving. In displacement currents the electrons don't leave their atoms,
>or the atoms are simply not there (displacement currents "flow" in
>vacuum). After the end of the streamers and around them, yes,
>displacement currents complete the circuit back to the ground.
>"Displacement currents" are just electric fields varying with time, that
>cause effects that are similar to a varying current flowing through
>the field lines. They cause magnetic fields and are affected by them,
>and cause charge movement at the ends of the field lines.
>Antonio Carlos M. de Queiroz

Hi Antonio,

You are, as usual, correct.  :^)

What I meant to convey (but didn't do very well), was that, ultimately, the 
currents that flow through the leaders and streamers are _caused by_ 
displacement current through the capacitance between the HV terminal and 
ground.

Best regards,

-- Bert --