[Physics] Maximum potential of a van de graaff generator

electromagnetismelectrostatics

I know that we can calculate the maximum potential of a van de graaff generator by ( radius* electric field in which corona discharge begin to form in the surrounding gas( according to wikipedia 30 kv/cm)).
What if i covered the sphere with Mica with a dielectric strength ( according to wikipedia) 1.18 Mv/cm , will that increase the maximum potential of the sphere?
I know it will be hard to discharge the sphere in this case , but is it possible?

Best Answer

In theory, if you had a sphere encased in a great dielectric than maybe you could charge it up to the breakdown limit of the dielectric. However, for a VdG generator, you need access to the sphere for the support and charging system, which then becomes the breakdown path.
As noted by @UncleAl, real accelerators use high pressure gas (not always SF6 since is expensive and a greenhouse gas), with the pressure and gap determined by the Paschen curves. Another benefit of gas insulation is that it self heals after a spark, which your solid dielectric would not do, so you would need to replace the mica every time it sparked.

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