CORONA

1) (air) A luminous discharge due to ionization of the air surrounding a conductor caused by a voltage gradient exceeding a certain critical value. 2) (gas) A discharge with slight luminosity produced in the neighborhood of a conductor, without greatly heating it, and limited to the region surrounding the conductor in which the electric field exceeds a certain value. 3) (partial discharge) (corona measurement) A type of localized discharge resulting from transient gaseous ionization in an insulation system when the voltage stress exceeds a critical value. The ionization is usually localized over a portion of the distance between the electrodes of the system. (IEEE Std 100-1988)