Simulation of High-Altitude Discharges in a Large Plasma Facility

The most important factor determining the dynamics and structure of high-altitude discharges is the significant difference in atmospheric pressure along their length. The Sprite device was designed at the Institute of Applied Physics. It makes it possible to produce an extended concentration gradient of a neutral gas and ignite a large-scale electric discharge in it. This work presents the results of laboratory experiments simulating some properties of high-altitude discharges, primarily sprites and gigantic jets. A high-voltage pulse discharge, which is similar to sprites and gigantic jets in structure, is studied using a wide arsenal of laboratory diagnostics, including macroscopic electrophysical measurements, inductive probes for measurement of the spatial current profile, plasma microwave interferometry, and photography with nanosecond exposures. The similarity of laboratory and natural discharges is shown, and the physical problems and possible means of their solution with limited laboratory simulation are indicated.