Positive hysteresis of electrodeless discharge in hydrogen in a co-axial cylindrical configuration

Abstract

If the voltage applied to the system increases from a low initial value to a maximum and then reduces progressively to the initial minimum, the variation in rising and falling fields presents three regions of <i style="">I-V </i>characteristic (i) rising positive approximately linear characteristic up to the breakdown potential of hydrogen gas (<i style="">V</i>_g), (ii) sharply inverting to a negative characteristic over the region <i style="">V</i>_g-<i style="">V</i>_V and (iii) a rising characteristic once again for the potential above valley voltage (<i style="">V</i>_V). The region of interest has been the potential range <i style="">V</i>_g-<i style="">V</i>_V for which the characteristic is negative. The segments (ii) and (iii) form roughly a parabola. Results show that for increasing and decreasing progress of the applied <i style="">V</i>, the values of unidirectional current are not identical. The values are comparatively less in the increasing progress of the voltage than those in the portion of the positive hysteresis (anti-hysteresis) corresponding to decreasing voltage. These results are discussed and a mechanism for the anti-hysteresis is proposed.