Three dielectric barrier discharge jets have been
analyzed mainly by spectroscopic methods. Power densities, electron
concentrations, and heavy particle temperatures are in the same range for
the jets. All three jets are excited by sinusoidal voltages with kilohertz
frequencies. High speed imaging proves that for quite different excitation
schemes the jet plasma consists of isolated, fast moving, light-emitting
structures. These so-called plasma bullets are emitted at a certain phase of
the excitation voltage and occur in one half-cycle only.