PENNING EFFECT

Domain	Definition
Aerospace	An increase in the effective ionization rate of a gas due to the presence of a small number of foreign metastable atoms.For instance, a neon atom has a metastable level at 16.6 volts and if there are a few neon atoms in a gas of argon which has an ionization potential of 15.7 volts, a collision between the neon metastable atom with an argon atom may lead to ionization of the argon. Thus, the energy which is stored in the metastable atom can be used to increase the ionization rate. Other gases where this effect is used are helium, with a metastable level at 19.8 volts, and mercury, with an ionization level at 10.4 volts. (references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Anagrams: PENNING EFFECT

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams
	Words within the letters "c-e-e-e-f-f-g-i-n-n-n-p-t"
	-4 letters: effecting, penitence.
	-5 letters: enceinte, nineteen, pfennige, tenpence.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro.