An Introduction to Gas Discharges

Preface to the First EditionPreface to the Second Edition1. Introduction 1.1 Historical 1.2 Types of Discharge2. Fundamental Processes 2.1 The Kinetic Theory of a Simple Gas 2.2 Atomic and Molecular Structure 2.2.1 The Bohr-Rutherford Atom 2.2.2 Molecular Structure 2.3 Collisions 2.3.1 Cross-section 2.3.2 Elastic Collisions 2.3.3 Inelastic Collisions 2.3.4 Charge Transfer; the Penning Effect 2.3.5 Attachment and Recombination 2.4 Absorption and Emission of Radiation 2.5 Mobility 2.6 Diffusion 2.6.1 The Diffusion Process 2.6.2 The Einstein Relation 2.6.3 Ambipolar Diffusion 2.6.4 Diffusion across a Magnetic Field 2.7 Electrode Effects 2.7.1 Thermionic Emission 2.7.2 Photoelectric Emission 2.7.3 Emission by Electron Impact 2.7.4 Emission by Positive-ion Impact 2.7.5 Emission by Neutral Atom Impact 2.7.6 Field Emission3. Breakdown 3.1 The Townsend Discharge 3.2 Effect of Space Charge 3.3 Effect of Secondary Emission 3.4 Effect of Attachment 3.5 Similarity 3.6 The Townsend Criterion 3.7 Paschen's Law 3.8 Low-pressure Breakdown in Non-Uniform Fields 3.9 Time of Breakdown 3.10 Breakdown at High Pressures 3.11 Non-Uniform Field, High Pressure: Corona 3.12 High-Frequency Breakdown 3.13 Effect of a Magnetic Field4. The Self-Sustaining Discharge 4.1 The D.C. Low-pressure Glow Discharge 4.1.1 The Cathode Region 4.1.2 The Negative Glow and Faraday Dark Space 4.1.3 The Positive Column 4.1.4 The Anode Fall 4.2 The High-pressure Glow Discharge 4.3 The D.C. Arc Discharge 4.3.1 Theories of Cathode Emission 4.3.2 Arc with Externally-Heated Cathode 4.3.3 The Positive Column 4.3.4 The Anode Fall 4.3.5 Special Forms of Arc 4.3.6 The Drawn Arc 4.3.7 Electrode Evaporation 4.4 A.C. Discharges 4.4.1 Low and Intermediate Frequencies 4.4.2 High Frequencies 4.4.3 Superimposed A.C.5. Equilibrium 5.1 General 5.2 Distribution Laws 5.3 Maxwell-Boltzmann Statistics 5.4 Einstein-Bose and Fermi-Dirac Statistics 5.5 Ionization—The Saha Equation 5.6 Detailed Balancing 5.7 Collision Rates 5.8 Radiation 5.9 Equilibrium in a Gas Discharge 5.10 Departures from Equilibrium 5.10.1 Co-existing Temperatures 5.10.2 The Druyvesteyn Distribution 5.10.3 Populations of Species 5.11 The Boltzmann Equation6. Plasma Properties 6.1 The Positive Column 6.1.1 Intermediate-Pressure Column 6.1.2 Low-Pressure Column 6.1.3 High-Pressure Column 6.2 The Ionosphere 6.3 Electromagnetic Waves in a Plasma 6.3.1 Low Pressure, High Frequency 6.3.2 Conditions for Absorption 6.4 High-Temperature Plasmas 6.4.1 General 6.4.2 Magnetic Containment and the Pinch Effect 6.4.3 Magnetohydrodynamics 6.5 Debye Screening 6.6 Characteristic and Relaxation Times 6.7 Plasma Oscillations7. Plasma Measurements 7.1 Probe Measurements 7.1.1 The Langmuir Probe Characteristic 7.1.2 Analysis of the Langmuir Characteristic 7.1.3 The Double Probe 7.2 Measurements from Emission Spectra 7.3 Microwave Measurements 7.4 Other Measurements8. Applications 8.1 Lighting 8.1.1 General 8.1.2 The Sodium Lamp 8.1.3 The High-Pressure Mercury-Vapor Lamp 8.1.4 The Low-Pressure Mercury-Vapor (Fluorescent) Lamp 8.1.5 Other Lamps 8.2 Electron Tubes 8.2.1 Thermionic Valves 8.2.2 The Mercury-Arc Rectifier; The Ignitron 8.2.3 Glow Discharge Tubes 8.2.4 Gas-Filled Photocells 8.2.5 The Geiger Counter 8.2.6 Duplexers 8.3 Heating 8.3.1 Arc Welding 8.3.2 Arc Furnaces 8.3.3 Other Heating Applications 8.4 Lasers 8.5 Switchgear 8.6 Power Generation 8.6.1 Controlled Fusion 8.6.2 Magnetohydrodynamic GenerationProblemsIndex