Townsend (unit)
Encyclopedia
The Townsend is a physical unit of the ratio E/N, where 
is electric field
and
is concentration of neutral particles. It is defined by the relation 
.
This unit is important in gas discharge physics, because the mean energy of electrons (and therefore many other properties of discharge) is a function of
.
It means that increasing the electric intensity E by some factor q has the same consequences as lowering gas density N by factor q.
It is named after John Sealy Townsend
.
is electric fieldElectric field
In physics, an electric field surrounds electrically charged particles and time-varying magnetic fields. The electric field depicts the force exerted on other electrically charged objects by the electrically charged particle the field is surrounding...
and
is concentration of neutral particles. It is defined by the relation .This unit is important in gas discharge physics, because the mean energy of electrons (and therefore many other properties of discharge) is a function of
.It means that increasing the electric intensity E by some factor q has the same consequences as lowering gas density N by factor q.
It is named after John Sealy Townsend
John Sealy Townsend
John Sealy Edward Townsend, FRS was a mathematical physicist who conducted various studies concerning the electrical conduction of gases and directly measured the electrical charge...
.