glow discharge

American  

noun

Physics.

1. the conduction of electricity in a low-pressure gas, producing a diffuse glow.

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glow discharge British  

noun

1. a silent luminous discharge of electricity through a low-pressure gas

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Etymology

Origin of glow discharge

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

In the saturated false colour of the visualization, it looked oddly like the moving ring patterns you get in the glow discharge of an old fluorescent tube — something Jeff was too young to have seen.

From Nature

It has long been known that air and other gases at the pressure of the atmosphere were very perfect insulators, but that when they were rarefied and contained in glass tubes with platinum electrodes sealed through the glass, electricity could be passed through them under sufficient electromotive force and produced a luminous appearance known as the electric glow discharge.

From Project Gutenberg