Analysis of an AC Gas Display Panel

The details and results for a one-dimensional numerical analysis of the gaseous discharge occurring at a single intersection of an ac gas panel are reported. A particular object of the program is the determination of the electric field magnitude as a function of both position and time, taking into account the field distortion due to the space charge. The calculations are based on the Townsend avalanche mechanism but omit the dynamic role of metastable neon atoms in a Penning gas mixture. The calculated electrical properties of the panel are compared with experimental values.