Critical rise time (RE: Terry's New Plane Wave Antenna)

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Original poster: "Marco Denicolai" <marco.denicolai@xxxxxxxxxx>

Hi Gerry,

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Tesla list [mailto:tesla@xxxxxxxxxx]
> Sent: Friday, January 06, 2006 19:04
> To: tesla@xxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: Terry's New Plane Wave Antenna
>
> Original poster: "Gerry  Reynolds" <gerryreynolds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>
> Hi Marco,
>
> What you are saying is one can get the rise time of the topload
> voltage too small for optimum streamer formation???

Yes. The optimal rise time is often called "critical rise time". It is the
one for which time-to-crest is equal to time-to-breakdown. Time-to-crest
means time for the waveform to reach its maximum value. Sorry for the odd
words but this is the naming often used in the literature.

> If so, does
> this relate directly to "fo" of the coil (rise within one RF cycle)
> or to the coupling coefficient "k" (affects the peak to peak
> rise).

Rise time implies waveform shape, that is "fo".

> Also, I presume there is an upper limit on the rise time for
> optimum streamers as well.

Probably, I mean for TC kind of bangs. For single surge pulses (like those
used in classical literature) using larger rise time gives, of course,
larger time to breakdown.

> What other factors affect these boundary
> constraints??

I hope to shed some light on this in my PhD work, if it ever gets done :)

Best Regards