HR: 0800h
AN: AE31A-0157    [Abstracts]
TI: Simulation of Streamer Initiation using a Particle in Cell Code with Monte Carlo Collisions : Application to Sprite ignition.
AU: * Chanrion, O
EM: chanrion@dsri.dk
AF: Danish Space Research Institute, Juliane Maries Vej 30, Copenhagen, 2100 Denmark
AU: Neubert, T
EM: neubert@dsri.dk
AF: Danish Space Research Institute, Juliane Maries Vej 30, Copenhagen, 2100 Denmark
AB: A particle code designed to simulate electrical breakdown of air is presented. By the use of 2D axisymetrical coordinates, the code can simulate 3D development of an electron avalanche, its transition into a streamer and the beginning of the streamer propagation. The method employed is a classical Particle in Cell method plus Monte Carlo treatment of collisions. The particles are followed inside a Cartesian mesh, collision processes are performed randomly accordingly cross sections and the self-consistent electric field is calculated. The use of a particle method gives us a kinetic description of the electron population; in particular we can obtain the electronic distribution function in the head of the streamer where the electric field varies strongly. The mobility, mean energy, and every considered collisional events rates are calculated without the assumption of locally constant electric field commonly used in fluid simulations. Some results of streamer development under atmospheric condition of sprite ignition are presented. The use of such simulation makes possible the comparison with laboratory discharge experiments or sprite observation campaigns by recovering informations on optical emissions for example.
DE: 7843 Numerical simulation studies
DE: 3324 Lightning
DE: 3332 Mesospheric dynamics
DE: 3304 Atmospheric electricity
DE: 0654 Plasmas
SC: Atmospheric and Space Electricity [AE]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting