Date of Award

12-1990

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Department of Engineering Physics

First Advisor

William F. Bailey, PhD

Abstract

The voltage-current and spectral line intensity-current characteristics were measured for four Xenon gas discharges. The four discharge configurations were made up of two tubes, each examined at pressures of 1 and 10 Torr. The first tube was a hot filament tube with a 1 cm radius, and the second a cold cathode type tube of radius .3 cm. Intensity dependence upon current was primarily linear in all cases with some important deviations. The hot filament tube at 10 Torr showed a large decrease in intensity between 4 and 6 mA in the 8409 angstrom line. This is thought to be connected with the onset of constriction in the discharge at this point. The coincidence of the upper level of this transition with several molecular ion levels of xenon, could account for quenching of this transition.

AFIT Designator

AFIT-GEP-ENP-90D-06

DTIC Accession Number

ADA230660

Comments

The author's Vita page is omitted

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