High-Voltage Stabilization by Means of the Corona Discharge between Coaxial Cylinders

The corona discharge between coaxial cylinders affords a practical means for stabilizing high voltages in a manner analogous to the stabilization of low voltages by the familiar glow-tube regulator. The corona regulator is particularly suitable for stabilizing voltages above several hundred volts at currents below one milliampere. It is accordingly well adapted for controlling the beam-focusing and accelerating potentials of cathode-ray beam devices such as oscilloscope, iconoscope, and kinescope tubes, of electron diffraction cameras, and for stabilizing Geiger tube voltage sources. Some of the theoretical aspects of the corona-discharge region as related to voltage stabilization are reviewed. Circuit design relationships are considered in detail and are developed to an extent sufficient for adapting particular corona regulator tube characteristics to specific performance requirements. Examples of constructional features and performance characteristics of typical high-voltage regulating tubes are presented.