Localization of pulsed energy deposition in a transverse surface discharge initiated in a gas flow with shock wave

The localization of a nanosecond transverse surface discharge initiated in a plasma sheet sliding over a dielectric surface in a channel featuring gas flow with a plane shock wave has been studied by monitoring glow intensity distribution at the discharge-ionized channel surface in the presence of the shock wave. Judging from the glow pattern, the entire energy of discharge is usually localized in a low-pressure region in front of the propagating shock wave. The density of energy deposited in front of the shock wave can be varied (in particular, increased up to 12–15 eV per particle) by initiating the discharge at various positions of the shock wave. Transitions from the discharge with glow localized sharply in front of the shock wave to the regimes with glow extended behind the front or with a volume glow region ahead of the shock wave were observed for certain values of the Townsend parameter (E/P) and Mach number (M).