Memory propagation in barrier discharge at water interface*

Barrier discharges are known for strong memory effects caused by residual charges deposited on the dielectric surface or metastable states and free charges present in the surrounding volume. These memory effects create the bond between the present and previous states and determine the future, they influence the statistical probabilities for the discharge pulses generation in both time and space, and are essential for proper understanding of the discharge physics and stochasticity of their behaviour. We present an experimental study of the memory propagation in a surface barrier discharge operated at the water interface, employing electrical measurements and synchronised 2D intensified CCD imaging. Analysis of hundreds of subsequent periods recorded with high temporal resolution and large dynamic range and their evaluation using conditional and unconditional discharge pulse occurrence probabilities confirmed known memory pathways and revealed new memory patterns. A memoryless state within the strongly memory-driven system was found as well.