English Explanatory Dictionary

Townsend discharge

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A gas ionization process where free electrons, accelerated by a sufficiently strong electric field, give rise to electrical conduction through a gas by avalanche multiplication caused by the ionization of molecules by ion impact.

Word forms

Townsend discharge Townsend discharges

Etymology

Named after John Sealy Townsend, who discovered the fundamental mechanism.

Synonyms

Townsend avalanche
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