Electron-neutral transport cross section of mercury

Abstract

The electron-neutral transport cross section and the electrical conductivity of Hg have been determined using a constricted dc Hg arc. This arc has a novel configuration which permits the precise measurement of the pressure, the voltage gradient, the temperature profile, and the total current. For the temperature range 5000–6500 °K, the electron-neutral transport cross section was found to be 1 × 10−14 cm2 with a precision of ± 6% and an absolute accuracy of ± 20%. A description of the apparatus and technique is presented as well as a comparison with other existing data.

Theoretical Prediction of ac Characteristics of Mercury Arc Lamps

“…Values of electrical conductivity have been taken from the experimental investigation of Morris and Walker. 8 The material function that presents particular difficulty is the radiation emission coefficient. This function includes both line and continuum radiation and because of self-absorption is not simply a function of the local temperature, but of the whole temperature profile.…”