Abstract.
The results of an experiment of impulsive electrodynamics [Eur. Phys. J. D 15, 87 (2001)] are shown to be due to electrons and ions in run-aways. By fitting the theoretical values with the experimental data, the values of microscopic quantities, at present unknown, can be derived, thus opening a new field of research. The obtained quantities are three, namely: (i) the contribution to air ionization due to the current (mainly of run-aways) and characterized by a parameter ρ; (ii) the product ζ=neinie (where nei is the number of ions extracted by one electron in run-away and nie the number of electrons extracted by one run-away ion colliding on the electrodes in electrical discharges with temperatures (for non run-aways) of ≃4×104 K); (iii) the reconstruction time constant \({\cal T}\) of the high-energy tail of the distribution function, from which we can derive the concentration per unit time of electrons and ions which become run-aways. The \({\cal T}\) value is useful for the theoretical explanation of the electronic noise with power spectral density inversely proportional to the frequency.
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At the ignition of the discharge the volume of the air inside the discharge remains practically constant (thus keeping its initial volume). The specific heat per unit mass at constant volume of non dissociated air is cmnon=714 J (kg K)-1. For dissociated air cm, being proportional to the degrees of freedom that reduce from 6 to 3, is reduced with a factor 2.
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Cavalleri, G., Cesaroni, E., Tonni, E. et al. Microscopic quantities in discharge in air obtained from an electro-mechanical experiment. Eur. Phys. J. D 42, 407–424 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/e2007-00131-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/e2007-00131-8