A new model of microdischarge current growth in vacuum

In order to investigate several effects associated with the ion-exchange discharge between electrodes in vacuum, several computer models have been developed. These make use of either a Monte Carlo method, an ion packet method, or a combination of both, to calculate the growth of current in the gap for various impurity distributions on the electrode surface. The nature of current pulses for several values of electrode radius, multiplication coefficient, electrode separation, gap voltage, released ion energy, and other factors has been estimated. A comparison is made with the analytical results of various authors, and the observed differences are discussed. Processes never previously considered are found to be essential for an understanding of the microdischarge development.