Electronic Conduction In Insulating Crystals Under Very High Field Strength

After a short discussion of electronic conduction in insulators with the main emphasis placed on the electrostatic coupling between electron and lattice, new experimental results are given: Current-voltage characteristics and photoelectric response have been measured in single crystals up to the breakdown point. Ten million volts per centimeter have been reached in mica, and phenomena have been observed acoustically, making a crystalline type of light-counter feasible. The dark-currents and photocurrents observed give information about the mechanism of electric conduction under very high field strength.