Dynamic Characteristics of the Spark Channel Plasma in Nitrogen Trigatron Investigated by the Laser Mach–Zehnder Interferometer

The spark channel plasma generated in the atmospheric nitrogen trigatron is studied with the laser Mach–Zehnder (M–Z) interferometer. The development of the spark channel plasma is described by analyzing the temporal and spatial evolution of the plasma electron density from the interferograms. The regions of the shock wave and the plasma are distinguished by the phase shift. Different spatial distributions of the anodic and cathodic plasma channels are obtained. The anodic spark channel shows good axial symmetry with constant radial expansion velocity. On the periphery of the main spark channel, a secondary spark channel occurs simultaneously in the cathodic region. After the collision of the two channels, the stagnation forms in the overlapping region and the secondary channel merges with the main one gradually. The leftward expansion velocity of the secondary channel is higher than the rightward velocity of the main channel, but both of them are lower than that near anode. The speculation on the production of the secondary spark channel is given and its influence on the development of the spark discharge in the gap is discussed in this work.