190 ILLINOIS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE 



ON THE INITIAL CONDITIONS OF THE CORONA 



DISCHARGE 



abstract 



Jacob Kunz, University of Illinois 



There was first given a description of the numerous phenom- 

 ena which are connected with direct current corona. The 

 difference between positive and negative electricity appears 

 in electrical, optical, mechanical and chemical effects. A new 

 attempt at an explanation of some of the relations disclosed by 

 experiments has been made. Relations between the critical 

 electric force at the surface of the wire, the pressure of the air 

 and the radius of the wire have been obtained. The con- 

 stants in these relations are different for the positive and the 

 negative wire. These constants have been assumed the same 

 for both polarities in the previous theories by Townsend and 

 Davis. Townsend's theory of collision moreover is based on 

 experiments at low pressure, while the formula, relating to 

 pressure, radius and critical force in the corona holds only for 

 high pressures. The principle of conservation of energy has 

 been applied to the ionization pressure and it is predicted that 

 over a certain range the current should be directly propor- 

 tional to the pressure increase. 



This paper has been published in the Physical Review, Vol. 

 VIII, July, 1916. 



