Excerpt from The Spectrum of the High Potential Discharge Between Metallic Electrodes in Liquids and in Gases at High Pressures: Between Metallic Electrodes in Liquids, and in Gases at High Pressures

In attempting to form a clear conception of the phenomena of the high potential discharge in liquids, it was felt that an investigation should also be made of the spectrum of the high potential discharge in air and other gases at high pressures. The previous work of Humphreys and Mohler onbthe low potential discharge in air at pressures up to 145 atmospheres had proved of gi'eat interest and importance from an astrophysical standpoint. This had led to the general adoption of a law of pressure-shifts, in which the change of wave-length is expressed as directly proportional to the total pressure of the surrounding air. It seemed probable that investigations made primarily for the pur pose of elucidating the phenomena previously encountered in liquids might also render possible an extension of this law, or at least give a basis for the discussion of any differences'in character which the low potential and the high potential discharges might exhibit. We hardly expected to find, however, that phenomena resembling those observed in liquids could be reproduced in gases at moderate pressures. Unfortunately, the removal of Dr. Kent from the Yerkes Observatory put a stop to this part of the investigation before it was fairly begun. An account of the few results obtained is nevertheless given in Part II of the present paper, as they are of some interest for com parison with the phenomena Observed in liquids. No general discussion of these results is attempted, for lack of sufficient data.

Part III comprises a brief outline of the-spectroscopic phenomena of temporary stars and some remarks on the bearing of our results on Wilsing's pressure theory. It is evident that the experiments we have been able to undertake are wholly insufficient, both in variety and extent, to provide a suitable foundation for. A general discussion. We have therefore been compelled to limit ourselves to such considerations as'are suggested by the work in hand, leaving a continuation of the discussion for some future occasion, when further data may be available.

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