Re: More on spark delay

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Antonio Carlos M. de Queiroz by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <acmq-at-compuland-dot-com.br>

Tesla list wrote:
> 
> Original poster: "Bert Hickman by way of Terry Fritz
<twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <bert.hickman-at-aquila-dot-net>

>...

(I agree with your comments so far)

> The terminal voltage behavior is consistent with rapid charge transfer
> during streamer and leader formation during initial breakout. However,
> the terminal's polarity is somewhat surprising, since leaders seem to be
> preferentially initiated when the topload is positive (i.e., for
> "cathode directed" streamers) than when negative.

As far as I know, leaders are packets of negative charges, electrons. 
Regular sparks, even lightning, always start at the negative side
(clouds, in most cases). A spark can be seen as a degenerate electron 
beam, in a medium that is far from vacuum. For symmetrical conditions,
breakout also occurs more easily with negative voltage. The 
observation that breakout always occur at negative voltage swings
agree with this.

Antonio Carlos M. de Queiroz