Townsend Ionization Coefficient

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Townsend Ionization Coefficient

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The average number of ionizing collisions an electron will make in drifting a unit distance in the direction of the applied electric force. These coefficients were first measured by Townsend and at present they are well tabulated for most gases. A typical value for the coefficient is one pair per centimeter at a pressure of 1 millimeter of mercury and a field strength of 100 volts per centimeter. </dd>

References

This article is based on NASA's Dictionary of Technical Terms for Aerospace Use