Antiforce Current Bearing Waves

Introduction

In the case of breakdown waves in a long discharge tube, near the electrode where the potential gradient in the gas is greatest, small quantity of gas is ionized. Analysis of the spectrum of radiation emitted from electric breakdown of a gas reveals no Doppler shift, indicating that the ions have negligible motion. The large difference in mobilities of positive ions and electrons causes establishment of a space charge and consequently a space charge field. The electric field accelerates the free electrons until they aquire enough of energy for collisional ionization of the gas. Since the ionized gas is a conductor and it can not hold internal electric filed, the electric field which has its maximum value at the interface between the ionized gas and the neutral gas has to reduce to a negligible value at the trailing edge of the wave.