Anomalous memory effect in the breakdown of low-pressure argon in a long discharge tube

The characteristics of breakdown of argon in a long tube (with a gap length of 75 cm and diameter of 2.8 cm) at pressures of 1 and 5 Torr and stationary discharge currents of 5–40 mA were studied experimentally. The breakdown was initiated by paired positive voltage pulses with a rise rate of ~108–109 V/s and duration of ~1–10 ms. The time interval between pairs was varied in the range of Т ~ 0.1–1 s, and that between pulses in a pair was varied from τ = 0.4 ms to ≈Т/2. The aim of this work was to detect and study the so-called “anomalous memory effect” earlier observed in breakdown in nitrogen. The effect consists in the dynamic breakdown voltage in the second pulse in a pair being higher than in the first pulse (in contrast to the “normal” memory effect, in which the relation between the breakdown voltages is opposite). It is found that this effect is observed when the time interval between pairs of pulses is such that the first pulse in a pair is in the range of the normal memory effect of the preceding pair (under the given conditions, Т ≈ 0.1–0.4 s). In this case, at τ ~ 10 ms, the breakdown voltage of the second pulse is higher than the reduced breakdown voltage of the first pulse. Optical observations of the ionization wave preceding breakdown in a long tube show that, in the range of the anomalous memory effect and at smaller values of τ, no ionization wave is detected before breakdown in the second pulse. A qualitative interpretation of the experimental results is given.