Abstract: An optical fiber ribbon Fusion-splicing apparatus for fusion-splicing end faces of optical fibers to each other includes an optical fiber jacket stripper including a portable main body, a power supply input terminal exposed/formed on one surface of the main body, a clamping and heating element for clamping a distal end portion of a coating of an optical fiber and heating/softening the distal end portion by using a heat accumulator which is electrically heated and has a large heat capacity, a pair of cutting blades for cutting a fiber jacket closer to a proximal end portion side of the optical fiber than the distal end portion, and a jacket stripping mechanism which is placed to oppose the clamping and heating element through the cutting blades and slides in a longitudinal direction of the optical fiber with respect to the clamping and heating element while holding the proximal end portion of the optical fiber, thereby stripping off the fiber jacket of the distal end portion, and a power supply terminal electr

Abstract: Herein disclosed are a method and an apparatus for supplying an electrical energy to a pair of discharge electrodes spaced apart from each other to cause an electric discharge in a gap between the discharge electrodes. There are firstly provided an alternating voltage generator for generating, as the electrical energy, an alternating voltage having a frequency, and a capacitor connected to the discharge electrodes in series. The alternating voltage generator has a series resonant frequency. The alternating voltage of the alternating voltage generator is applied to the discharge electrodes through the capacitor. The frequency of the alternating voltage is set approximately to the series resonant frequency of the alternating voltage generator to cause a dielectric breakdown in and allow an electric discharge current to flow through the gap between the discharge electrodes.