Directional motion of discharge filaments pattern in a ratchet dielectric barrier discharge system

The directional motion of the discharge filaments pattern with controllable motion speed is achieved by using a novel dielectric barrier discharge device with a ratcheting asymmetric boundary. It can be observed in a gas mixture of argon and air over a considerably wide parameter range of gas pressure from 12 to 55 kPa and argon content from 0% to 90%. The motion speeds are adjustable with a maximum range of 1.25 degrees/s to 6.25 degrees/s by altering the argon concentration and gas pressure. Notably, the discharge filaments move along the ratchet-tilting direction while maintaining a hexagonal arrangement. The filaments of the hexagonal structure, that is, the main part of the pattern discharge simultaneously as demonstrated by the results of the intensified charge-coupled device measurements. The transverse electric field (parallel to the dielectric plate) simulated by solving the Poisson equation exhibits an asymmetric spatial distribution. A net tangential force from the asymmetric transverse electric field is exerted on the pattern, driving it to a directional motion. C2024 Author(s). All article content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).