Electron-neutral transport cross section of mercury

Abstract

The electron‐neutral transport cross section and the electrical conductivity of Hg have been determined using a constricted dcHg arc. This arc has a novel configuration which permits the precise measurement of the pressure, the voltage gradient, the temperature profile, and the total current. For the temperature range 5000–6500 °K, the electron‐neutral transport cross section was found to be 1 × 10−14 cm2 with a precision of ± 6% and an absolute accuracy of ± 20%. A description of the apparatus and technique is presented as well as a comparison with other existing data.