Townsend discharge

== English == === Etymology === Named after John Sealy Townsend, who discovered the fundamental mechanism. === Noun === Townsend discharge (plural Townsend discharges) A gas ionization process where free electrons, accelerated by a sufficiently strong electric field, give rise to electrical conduction through a gas by avalanche multiplication caused by the ionization of molecules by ion impact. ==== Synonyms ==== Townsend avalanche