Abstract
When very small currents are passed through mercury vapour in cylindrical tubes, the characteristic current versus voltage gradient curves for the positive column have negative slope. A previous analysis of conditions in the column based on ambipolar diffusion theory is restated and extended somewhat in terms of plasma-sheath theory. It appears that the plasma-sheath boundary region of high current discharges expands to fill the cross-section when the current is low. Probe experiments on positive columns in mercury vapour and other gases indicate the probable presence of positive space charges throughout the tube when the current density is small. It is suggested that this may be a common property of many discharges with small current density. References are given to literature on the subject.
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