The current–voltage characteristics of hollow cathode discharges and their predischarges in argon under dc and pulsed conditions were found to have a positive slope at pressures up to approximately 50 Torr, and currents up to 20 mA, at a hole diameter of 0.7 mm. In this range of pressure and current, parallel operation of hollow cathode discharges, without ballast, was demonstrated. Scaling to higher pressure is possible by reducing the hole diameter. Pulsed experiments with an array of cathode rings of 75 μm diameter allowed us to obtain parallel operation of more than 50 discharges at a pressure of 350 Torr in air.

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The trigatron has been in widespread use as a demand-triggerede high-voltage switch for more than 40 years. In spite sf the poparlarity and maturity of the technology, there persists an uncertainty over the basic physical mechanism (s) responsibIe for triggering breakdown in the devices. We present the results of an ern~BricaZ study OE tadgatrons that directly demonstrates that breakdown is initiated by a streamer launched from the trigger pin, independent of the trigger spark. We compare our results with those of previous workers, and discuss the generality of our conclusions.

Since the Erst trigatron spark gap was described by J. D. Craggs, M~ E. Haine, and J. M~ Meek 19. Ptist. Electr. Eng. 93.88,963 (1946) 1, there has been controversy about the physical naebrhanism responsible for triggering the devices. Hn this letter we present experimental ev~dcnce that directly shows the sequence of physical events responsible for triggering in the gap we studied, and we present a modd for trigatron triggering based on this information. We Isejleve this mode2 ta be general and discuss it in light of existing literature. We briefly discuss the impEications af the model for the engineering design of trigatron gaps.

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