Re: Why do streamers happen?

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

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