Spontaneous radiation-emission fluctuations of gas discharges and their measurement using a suitable radiation detector

The equations describing the spontaneous fluctuations of photon radiation are given by Bose¿Einstein statistics. These equations are applied to calculate the statistical fluctuations of photon radiation emitted by a nonhomogeneous plasma. By using a photodetector, the radiation fluctuations are transformed into corresponding output-current fluctuations. The detector must have special properties of sensitivity, noise, frequency response and transmission characteristics. The InSb photodetector described here has the required properties.