Dr. William F. Bailey
Associate Professor Emeritus of Physics
Research Interests
Professor Bailey’s research is focused on computer simulations of plasma dynamics. Numerical models are widely used in characterizing the plasma state. Approaches employed range from solutions of the collisional Boltzmann equation and particle-in-cell methods to solutions of the fluid equations. Gas discharges offer an efficient and diverse technique of generating nonequilibrium plasmas. Currently, fluid models are used to simulate microdischarges in display panels, RF plasma reactors for deposition or etching, and surface discharges created in dielectric barrier discharge configurations. A Dielectric barrier Discharge (or DbD) is a capacitive discharge in which an insulating layer has been inserted into the current path of the discharge. This insulating layer may appear as dielectric material coated onto one or both of the electrodes or as a dielectric layer somewhere in the discharge gap. DbDs, also referred to as silent discharges in literature, have generated growing interest in industry, because they can form non-equilibrium plasmas at atmospheric pressures. DbDs have already been exploited for some noteworthy commercial applications, including industrial-scale ozone production, material surface modification, plasma-chemical vapor deposition, pollution control, laser discharge tubes, excimer lamps, and, most recently, large-area flat plasma-display panels. Another innovative DbD application is that of a flow control device, a plasma actuator. The objective is to modify the airflow boundary layer and control the transition from laminar to turbulent flow. Properly designed, the actuator can increase lift and reduce drag.