Wide-band noise sources using cylindrical gas-discharge tubes in two-conductor lines
R.I. Skinner · The proceedings of the Institution of Electrical Engineers. Part B, Radio and electronic engineering, including communication engineering · 1956
The provision of wide-band noise sources for the decimetre wavelength region is important for many radio applications. Anoise signal of suitable power level for most purposes is obtained when the plasma region of a gaseous discharge is matched to a transmission line.Examination of the properties of a discharge plasma shows that a noise source with an output which is constant over several octaves can be obtained by matching a cylindrical discharge tube directly to a two-conductor line. Such matching can be achieved by using conductor pairs of various shapes. The factors which affect the operation of the matching element are considered, and a practical design procedure is outlined.These noise sources are simpler to construct and of better performance than those used previously at decimetre wavelengths.