Abstract

A novel technique to initiate¹ and diagnose electric breakdown in dielectric liquids is presented. The electric breakdown is triggered between two high-voltage electrodes by a laser-induced plasma. In the initial phase of the breakdown process, thin light-emitting conducting channels (so-called streamers) are formed in the liquid. The streamers have a key role in the electric breakdown and a technique for optical time-resolved and spectral analysis of streamers is described.

© 1994 IEEE