BREAKDOWN OF AN ELECTRODELESS DISCHARGE IN CROSSED ELECTRIC AND MAGNETIC FIELDS

Journal Article · Mon Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1962 · Proc. Phys. Soc. (London)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/0370-1328/80/4/313· OSTI ID:4777506

Sen, S N; Ghosh, A K

The variation of breakdown potertial in an electrodeless discharge has been studied in air in a discharge tube of length 9 cm, the pressure varying from a few microns to 300 microns and the magnetic field from 20 gauss to 200 gauss, the discharge being excited by means of a transformer (10 kv). The breakdown voltage is always found to be higher than when no magnetic field is present for all values of pressure, and the pressure at which the breakdown voltage becomes a minimum increases gradually as the magnetic field is increased. It is observed that the expression for equivalent pressure, as deduced by Blevin and Haydon in 1958, can explain the observed results at low preasure and for low values of magnetic field (below 50 gauss), but for higher magnetic fields the variation of Townsend's second coefficient in a magnetic field also has to be taken into consideratton. Consequently a new expression for V/sub SH/, the breakdown voltage in crossed electric and magnetic fields, has been deduced, taking into consideration the effect of both the equivalent pressure and the variation of Townsend's second coefficient in a magnetic field. This new expression can explain not only the increase of breakdown voltage in a magnetic field for all values of pressure, but can accourt satisfactorily for the shift of pressure for minimum breakdown voltage as the value of magnetic field is gradually increased. (auth)

• Research Organization: Jadavpur Univ., Calcutta
• NSA Number: NSA-17-000678
• OSTI ID: 4777506
• Journal Information: Proc. Phys. Soc. (London), Journal Name: Proc. Phys. Soc. (London) Vol. Vol: 80
• Country of Publication: Country unknown/Code not available
• Language: English

Related Subjects

AIR
BREAKDOWN
ELECTRIC DISCHARGES
ELECTRIC FIELDS
ELECTRIC POTENTIAL
ELECTRODES
ELECTRON TUBES
EXCITATION
GASES
IONIZATION
MAGNETIC FIELDS
PHYSICS
PRESSURE
TOWNSEND DISCHARGE
TRANSFORMERS
TUBES
VARIATIONS