Comparison of self-quenching streamer transitions in Xe, Kr-, and Ar-mixtures

The basic properties of the self-quenching streamer (SQS) transition have been studied for Xe and Kr mixtures, and compared with those for Ar mixtures. The transition was observed in Xe and Kr mixtures in spite of the fact that the energies of photons from Xe and Kr are insufficient to ionize directly quenching gas molecules. Since avalanche size curves measured for the SQS mode can be explained by taking into account the photoionization effect, the emission process of protons that can ionize the molecules or other more complex ionization processes should be considered to explain the transition. The complex processes could involve the emission of unknown energetic photons, interactions between the metastable states of rare gases, or multiple photoabsorption processes