EXPERIMENTAL-STUDY OF THE EFFECTIVE SECONDARY-EMISSION COEFFICIENT FOR RARE-GASES AND COPPER ELECTRODES

Measurements are made for variations of the effective secondary emissi on coefficient gamma with reduced field fly. Plane-parallel copper ele ctrodes (5 cm diameter) are sustained with a de voltage (0 < V< 1 kV) and can be separated by a variable distance (2 mm<d<1 cm). Current-vol tage characteristics, Paschen curves, and gamma(E/p) variations are sh own for various rare gases (neon, argon, krypton, and xenon), gamma(E/ p) values are deduced from Paschen curves and published alpha/p(E/p) v ariations by using the self-sustain condition. Comparisons are made wi th various experimental or calculated results taken from the literatur e. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(98)08111-0].