Energy and mass compositions of the plasma of a nanosecond coaxial vacuum surface discharge

The energy and mass compositions of the plasma generated by a nanosecond coaxial discharge on the surface of high-pressure polyethylene at different polarities of the central electrode with and without a vacuum gap between the dielectric and the peripheral electrode are investigated. It is shown that a nanosecond coaxial discharge on a dielectric surface is an efficient source of high-energy multicharged ions.