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

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 photo-ionization effect, emission processes of some photons that can ionize the molecules or other more complex ionization processes should be considered to explain the transition