Investigation of the ions emitted from a copper-vapour arc in vacuum

Abstract

The average velocity and the average degree of ionization of ions emitted from a copper-vapour arc in vacuum have been determined from ion current, energy, and impulse measurements. The average ion velocity found was 14×10⁴ m s⁻¹, and on the average these ions are ionized 17 times. Assuming single ionization, about 50% of the atoms emitted are ionized. It was found that the angular distributions of the emitted neutrals and ions were not equal.