Re: uv light

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Jim Lux by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <jimlux-at-earthlink-dot-net>


----- Original Message -----
From: "Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
To: <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
Sent: Sunday, November 10, 2002 4:24 PM
Subject: uv light


 > Original poster: "J Dow by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>"
<jdowphotography-at-hotmail-dot-com>
 >
 >
 > Hello all
 >
 > I was reading how sparks form better in the presence of UV light. I guess
 > the UV light make ionizing the air easer. Is there any thing to this?

That, and the UV light causes electrons to be knocked off the electrode
surfaces more easily.

If you have a field at the surface of an electrode that is enough to get a
spark to start, you'd normally have to wait for chance to kick an electron
off the surface to start the discharge process going.  Radiation is one way,
UV light on the surface is another, really, really sharp points is another
(field emission... if the field is high enough, electrons will come off),
heating it up is yet another (as in thermionic cathodes...)