﻿Conductivity 
  imparted 
  to 
  Liquid 
  Air 
  by 
  Alpha 
  Rays. 
  885 
  

  

  in 
  series 
  with 
  the 
  free 
  quadrants. 
  The 
  whole 
  capacity 
  in 
  this 
  

   case, 
  including 
  quadrants, 
  electrode, 
  condensers, 
  and 
  leading 
  

   wires, 
  was 
  about 
  3635 
  e.s.u. 
  The 
  readings 
  taken 
  with 
  both 
  

   positive 
  and 
  negative 
  fields 
  are 
  given 
  in 
  Table 
  IV., 
  and 
  the 
  

   curve 
  corresponding 
  to 
  them 
  is 
  shown 
  in 
  fig. 
  5 
  (PL 
  XVIII.) 
  . 
  

  

  Table 
  IV. 
  

  

  Conductivity 
  impressed 
  upon 
  Air 
  at 
  101 
  atmospheres 
  by 
  

   the 
  Alpha 
  Rays 
  from 
  Polonium. 
  

  

  Potential 
  difference 
  

  

  applied 
  to 
  measuring 
  

  

  system. 
  

  

  Current 
  (rise 
  in 
  volts) 
  

  

  Current 
  (rise 
  in 
  volts) 
  

  

  with 
  positive 
  field. 
  

  

  with, 
  negative 
  field. 
  

  

  Volts. 
  

  

  Eise 
  in 
  volts 
  per 
  min. 
  

  

  Rise 
  in 
  volts 
  per 
  min. 
  

  

  1367 
  

  

  62-2 
  X 
  10 
  ~ 
  2 
  

  

  58-25 
  X 
  10 
  " 
  2 
  

  

  1069 
  

  

  51-3 
  

  

  50-08 
  

  

  839 
  

  

  44-3 
  

  

  42-84 
  

  

  688 
  

  

  38-5 
  

  

  38-24 
  

  

  562 
  

  

  33-6 
  

  

  33-86 
  

  

  403 
  

  

  28-4 
  

  

  28-64 
  

  

  242 
  

  

  22-73 
  

  

  20-5 
  

  

  79 
  

  

  15-23 
  

  

  15-31 
  

  

  38 
  

  

  11-73 
  

  

  1234 
  

  

  20-5 
  

  

  915 
  

  

  9-75 
  

  

  10-0 
  

  

  4-94 
  

  

  5-06 
  

  

  The 
  curve, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  seen, 
  is 
  in 
  this 
  case 
  practically 
  of 
  the 
  

   same 
  form 
  as 
  that 
  obtained 
  with 
  the 
  ionization 
  impressed 
  by 
  

   the 
  rays 
  upon 
  liquid 
  air, 
  and 
  it 
  would 
  appear 
  that 
  here, 
  too, 
  

   the 
  form 
  of 
  the 
  curve 
  has 
  its 
  explanation 
  : 
  (1) 
  in 
  the 
  formation 
  

   of 
  ions 
  in 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  air 
  by 
  some 
  unknown 
  radiation 
  of 
  

   a 
  more 
  penetrating 
  nature 
  than 
  alpha 
  rays 
  from 
  the 
  polonium- 
  

   coated 
  plate, 
  or 
  by 
  the 
  diffusion 
  of 
  ions 
  from 
  the 
  thin 
  ionized 
  

   layer 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  one 
  electrode 
  into 
  the 
  space 
  between 
  the 
  

   two 
  electrodes 
  ; 
  and 
  (2) 
  in 
  the 
  gradual 
  lessening 
  of 
  re- 
  

   combination 
  by 
  the 
  applied 
  fields. 
  As 
  the 
  numbers 
  show, 
  

   the 
  currents 
  w 
  r 
  ith 
  positive 
  and 
  negative 
  fields, 
  just 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  

   liquid 
  air 
  experiments, 
  were 
  practically 
  the 
  same. 
  In 
  seeking 
  

   for 
  an 
  explanation 
  of 
  this 
  result, 
  one 
  must 
  bear 
  in 
  mind 
  the 
  

   work 
  of 
  Kovarik 
  * 
  and 
  of 
  Dempster 
  | 
  on 
  the 
  mobilities 
  of 
  

   ions 
  produced 
  by 
  alpha 
  rays 
  in 
  gases 
  at 
  high 
  pressures. 
  

  

  In 
  his 
  paper 
  Kovarik 
  has 
  shown 
  that 
  w 
  r 
  ith 
  the 
  air 
  used 
  in 
  

   his 
  experiments 
  the 
  mobilities 
  of 
  both 
  kinds 
  of 
  ions 
  varied 
  

  

  * 
  Kovarik, 
  Proc. 
  Rov. 
  Soc. 
  A. 
  vol. 
  Ixxxvi. 
  p. 
  154. 
  

  

  t 
  Dempster, 
  Phys. 
  Ilex. 
  vol. 
  xxiv. 
  No. 
  1, 
  p. 
  53 
  (1912). 
  ~ 
  

  

  