Microparticle energy enhancement following a bouncing impact in a high-voltage gap

A low-velocity microparticle gun has been developed for a controlled study of the momentum and charge reversal associated with particle bouncing in a high-voltage vacuum gap for impact velocities of 5-200 m s-1. It has been demonstrated that there are a range of experimental conditions for which this mechanism can lead to an enhancement in the kinetic energy of a microparticle. This observation is used in support of a multi-transit model for the initiation of electrical breakdown by the impact of microparticles having velocities in excess of 1500 m s-1.