AC ionizers produce positive and negative ions by applying a high-voltage AC waveform at the supply frequency. One emitter may be used to produce ions; both positive and negative ions are produced at each emitter. This is a unique feature and the defining characteristic of AC technology. The AC advantage is in part the result of the ability to produce bipolar ions from a single emitter. AC systems can be located closer to objects than DC systems since each emitter is bipolar and the time and distance between ion polarities is short. Stability is enhanced since each emitter is uniformly subjected to the differing wear patters characteristic of positive and negative emitter electrodes. The fast cycling of AC frequency reduces the build-up of emitter contaminants that attack electrode surfaces. Stable balance performance is offer by AC technology. The fast AC cycle times produce a nearly continuous stream of bipolar ions. The short time separation helps to assure rapid and complete neutralization of charges. In AC systems, loss of an individual emitter typically has very little impact on overall system performance and will not result in a state of system ion imbalance.