Threshold Field That Separates Domains of Subcritical and Deeply Subcritical Microwave Discharges Ignited on a Dielectric Surface

Microwave discharges initiated by an electromagnetic (EM) vibrator and ignited on the inner surface of a dielectric tube in a quasi-optical EM beam are experimentally studied. A threshold level of the microwave field that separates domains of subcritical and deeply subcritical microwave discharges is determined in experiments. Experiments show that streamer channels of the subcritical discharge propagate from the initiator along the propagation direction of the EM wave and in the opposite direction under certain conditions. Variations in the power of the microwave beam can be used to change length of the plasma region of the subcritical discharge along the wave vector of the microwave beam and control the level of the EM energy absorbed in the plasma regions of the deeply subcritical microwave discharge.