A New Design for a High-Voltage Discharge Tube

A description is given of tests with a high-voltage tube of simple and rugged design. The tube consists essentially of a fiber cylinder extending between the electrodes and evacuated to a pressure of 4×{}10^-6 mm Hg during operation. A potential of 300,000 volts could be maintained on a section of tube 53 cm long. In spite of the fact that the voltage was limited by discharge there was no case of puncture. A simple clear-cut mechanism for the initiation of discharge in vacuum (independent of field currents) is given together with confirming experimental evidence. On this basis there is proposed a method of screening the electrodes to prevent breakdown and permit the application of extremely high voltages to the tube.