glow discharge
Noun
Meaning
glow discharge (plural glow discharges)
A form of electrical conduction in low-pressure gases (plasmas) that emits light.
Synonyms
Examples
The glow discharge occurs in a low-pressure argon gas atmosphere between 1 and 10 torr.
The gas ions are accelerated towards the cathode and, upon impact on the cathode, sputter cathode material that is excited in the glow discharge to emit the radiation of the sputtered material, i.e., the element of interest.
The requirement for samples of glow discharge atomizers is that they are electrical conductors.
Instead they produced a colorful glow discharge (as in a modern neon light ), caused when the electrons or ions struck gas atoms, exciting their orbital electrons to higher energy levels.