Some characteristics of tungsten filaments operated as cathodes in a gas discharge

Abstract

Some physical properties of tungsten filaments, when operated as cathodes in a gas discharge, are presented. For a 0.1524-cm-diam tungsten wire, the initiation of a discharge is found to be dependent on the filament geometry. The effect of connecting the discharge power supply to either the positive or negative leg of the filament is examined. When the emission current becomes a sizable fraction of the filament heater current, the filament does not emit uniformly. The temperature distribution indicates that the majority of the electrons are emitted from the negative leg of the filament.