The statistical time-delay and the breakdown formative time contributions to the memory effect in Ne at 7 mbar pressure

Abstract

The results of the electrical breakdown time-delay as a function of the relaxation time τ, known as ‘the memory curve’, are presented. The memory curve was experimentally established for the relaxation times from 3 ms to 300 s, for the Ne-filled diode at 7 mbar pressure. Statistical analysis was used to analyse the obtained time-delay values. The results show that for the relaxation times τ ⩽ 0.1 s the dominant part of the total time-delay is the breakdown formative time (tf ∼ 0.1 ms). The breakdown formative time obtained in this investigation shows the same ‘memory effect’ as the breakdown total time-delay, because it slowly increases with τ. For τ > 0.1 s, the statistical time-delay makes up the dominant part of the total time-delay, as was reported earlier.

Experimental investigations of time delay distributions inside a commercial gas tube

“…However, the values of regression coefficients decreased for bigger relaxation times values, and for relaxation times τ = 20 ms regression coefficients arrive the values R = 0.97531 and R = 9.96781, for applied voltages U W = 80 V and 100 V, respectively. Similar shape of density distributions are shown in references [12][13][14]21]. For small relaxation times, breakdown is caused by positive ions.…”

“…The flux of cosmic rays during the time insignificantly varies. Therefore, the t D , which correspond to plateau (iii) of memory curve, are approximately constant [21]. From histograms, presented in Figure 7 (for applied voltage U W = 80 V) the Gaussian shape is clearly, but with small asymmetry on the right side of distribution for relaxation time τ = 20 ms.…”

“…This Gaussian like shape of the time delay density distributions indicates that the dominant role, for relaxation times τ = 2 ms, in breakdown initiation is played by positive ions remained from previous discharge. In this situations statistical time delay is much smaller than formative times, and total time delay distributions are determined by formative time delay distributions [12][13][14]21]. Gaussian like shape is less expressed with increase of the relaxation times, and with decrease of the applied voltage.…”

“…For small relaxation times, breakdown is caused by positive ions. However, in used indicators gas discharge tube, electrode and tube geometry is totally different owing to the geometry of gas tube from references [12][13][14]21].…”

Investigation of the Influence of Overvoltage, Auxiliary Glow Current and Relaxation Time on the Electrical Breakdown Time Delay Distributions in Neon

“…The decrease of the metastable neon atom concentration leads to yield decrease and increase of the time delay values. The shape of the memory curve recorded without auxiliary current is in agreement with earlier measurements [15,17,18,25,37]. The saturation of memory curve without auxiliary glow current occurs when the concentration of metastable neon atoms becomes negligible and the cosmic ray starts to be responsible for the breakdown initiation.…”