The Magnetic Analysis of a Luminous Canal Ray Beam in Hydrogen

A method is described for splitting a luminous canal ray beam in hydrogen into its four component parts, namely the neutral, ${\mathrm{H}}_2^{+}$, ${\mathrm{H}}^{+}$ and ${\mathrm{H}}_{2-1}^{+}$ beams, by applying a transverse magnetic field. From the variation in intensity of the ${\mathrm{H}}_2^{+}$ and ${\mathrm{H}}_{2-1}^{+}$ beams with pressure, the free path for dissociation into ${\mathrm{H}}_{2-1}^{+}$ of a 1000 volt ${\mathrm{H}}_2^{+}$ ion is found to be 0.37 cm at a pressure of 0.01 mm, which is about one-fourth the kinetic theory value for the mean free path of a neutal hydrogen molecule. Also the ratio of the light emitted per centimeter path by an atomic ion to that emitted by a molecular ion is found to be one-fifth.