Breakdown of a Gas subject to Crossed Electric Fields

Abstract

IN microwave breakdown of a gas, the amplitude of drift movement of an electron is small except at very low pressures, and the hypothesis has been made that the return of an electron over its previous track may help to initiate the discharge¹. The experiments now reported deal with an attempt to convert the simple to-and-fro drift movement into a zig-zag movement, and to examine the effects of this on the stresses required to initiate breakdown.