Determination of electric field and electron temperature in the positive column of a high-power hydrogen thyratron from nonintrusive measurements

Abstract

This work presents a simple method for calculating the conductivity, electron temperature, and electric field in a high-current hydrogen thyratron positive column as functions of the current density and electron density. The method is based on an analysis that takes into account the partially ionized nature of the plasma, and includes the effects of electron-electron and electron-ion collisions. Data are presented for a typical thyratron discharge (hydrogen pressure 0.4 Torr, current density 50–250 A/cm2, electron density 2–8×1014 cm−3). The electron temperature is found to be close to 1 eV, while the electric field ranges between 5 and 15 V/cm.