High order fluid model for streamer discharges

A high order fluid model for streamer discharges is developed and used to investigate propagation of negative streamer fronts in N2 . Mo- mentum transfer theory is employed to evaluate the collision terms and close the system of moment/balance equations. The results of simulations are compared with those obtained by a PIC/MC method and by the classical first order fluid model based on the drift-diffusion and local field approxi- mations. The comparison clearly validates the theoretical basis of the high order fluid model, while the first order fluid model underestimates many aspects of streamer dynamics.