Progress in understanding of ionization conduction and breakdown in dielectric liquids

The contribution of Polish scientists to the research on dielectric liquids was great and essential. The first impulse was given by M. Curie and P. Langevin to Cz. Bialobrzeski, who in 1931 opened a special laboratory in Warsaw. His student and coworker I. Adamczewski continued the investigations after the war in Gdansk, where he created a big group, known as the Gdansk School of Dielectric Liquids. Not only the basic theories of ionization, conduction and break-down in liquids were studied but also many applications were developed, especially in the dosimetry of ionizing radiations. The monograph by I. Adamczewski edited in Poland, France, England, USA and Russia was the first such extensive survey of all what has been done in the world and became a foundation for many later investigations, including the Author's own in Gdansk and Salford. Among others he derived a general semi-empirical formula for all transport coefficients in liquids and for the break-down field strength. This paper may help to better understand the further development in this field and to mark out guide-lines for the future.