Theory of High Frequency Gas Discharges. III. High Frequency Breakdown

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Abstract
In search of a definition of "breakdown" of a gas under microwave fields, the density of electrons is investigated as a function of the field strength under the following simplifying assumptions. Ionization occurs as result of single impacts between gas atoms and sufficiently fast electrons. The gas has an infinite volume, and negative ions are not formed, so that the only mechanism for electron removal is recombination with positive ions. The calculations show that, at a certain field strength, the density of electrons rises sharply. The simple model, therefore, leads to a breakdown phenomenon, at field strengths not far from observed values. Gases treated are helium and neon under frequencies of 3000 megacycles.