On the mechanism of the runaway of electrons in a gas: The upper branch of the paschen curve

• Authors: Alexey Tkachev , Sergey Yakovlenko
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

Basing on the simulation results, it is shown that the Townsend mechanism of electron multiplication in a gas at sufficiently large interelectrode distances is valid at least up to such large values of E/p at which relativistic electrons are generated. Correspondingly, the runaway electron producing in a gas is determined not by the local criteria accepted presently, but by the ratio of interelectrode distance and the characteristic electron multiplication length. It is shown that the critical discharge voltage U, at which the runaway electrons appear in a given gas, is a function of the product of the interelectrode distance by the gas pressure. This function (U-pd dependence) defines not only well-known Paschen curve but also an additional branch, which describes the absence of a self-sustained discharge at a high voltages sufficiently rapidly supplied across the electrodes. Critical discharge voltage dependence for helium and xenon are presented.

Keywords

EN

runaway electrons; electron multiplication; Paschen curve; gas discharge; 51.50.+v

• Publisher: De Gruyter Open
• Journal: Open Physics
• Year: 2004
• Volume: 2
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 132-146

Dates

published

1 - 3 - 2004

online

1 - 3 - 2004

Contributors

author

Alexey Tkachev

• General Physics Institute, Russian Academy of Science, Vavilova St. 38, 119991, Moscow, Russia

author

Sergey Yakovlenko

• General Physics Institute, Russian Academy of Science, Vavilova St. 38, 119991, Moscow, Russia

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Identifiers

DOI

10.2478/BF02476277