Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-11-11
Atoms Shattered With Current Of High Voltage

silk insulated copper wire wound on q
single layer on a glass tube. This coil
is immersed in an insulating oil such
as is used in all electrical transform
ers. y
1.-The coil is excited to high voltage
by means of a primary circuit consist
ing of a giass-plate condenser, a spark
gap and a primary coil.
"The condenser is charged to $4,000
to 100000 volts by an ordinary high
voltage X-ray machine. 3
"SURRoUNDING the high-voltage
~ coil by oil is an important fea-
ture of the method. An ordinary Tesla
coil operating in air will not go to
voltages higher than 100000 or AGO. 900
y but when this spectacular dis
play is prevented by immersing the coil
in oil, the energy which would ordi-
narily be used UP by sparks goes into
raising the coil to very much higher
voltage.
"Voltages up to 100000 were readily
obtainable by using a coil of this type
in an ordinary open tank, but, above
this, sparks would flash out into the
oil. BY placing the coil inside a steel
tank filled with oil under a pressure
of 500 pounds to the square inch, we
were able to obtain more than 5000 900
volts.
"Slight changes in design of the coil
will permit even higher voltage to be
obtained"
When electrons are released at one
electrode of a vacuum tube to which
high voltage is applied. they lombard
the other electrode with speeds ap-
preaching the velocity of light 10000
miles per second.
With this method it is fairly easy to
knock electrons out of their normal
positions. Low voltages suffice to
give stream of electrons or positively
charged atoms but in order to
penetrate the atoms central structure
the speed and hitting force of these
projectiles must be increased ire
mendously. More electric volts is the
answer.
Greater voltages would give to the
stream of electrons or atomic projec-
tiles such speed that it would be COM
parable to that of radium. and the
number of projectiles would exceed the
number obtained from any radium
source. An ordinary X-ray tube would
shoot of as many high-speed particles
as whole ton of radium.
There is added difficulty in producing
vacuum tubes that will Withstand the
UeTTlIlC SCraln WHICH VIII result. AL
these high voltages the glass is sub
jected to great electrical stresses
On the urgent need for tubes, DR..
Tuve said:
I'm order to produce particles of
sufficiently high speeds to penetrate
the atomic nucleus. they must be
speeded up tremendously by being re-
leased from a vacuum tube to which
several million volts is applied. Devel-
opment of such a tube Is the second
phase Of the problem.
can ordinary high-voltage X-ray tube
will not stand more than 100000 volts.
Some special types of tubes have with
stood 100000 volts. We have been
able to operate one of our tubes at
over 100000 volts for short periods.
"Dr. Coolidge of the General Electric
Co. has developed the cathode-ray tube
which operates satisfactorily at 100000
volts and will probably go higher.
Within the last few months Dr. Laurit-
zen and Dr. Bennett Of the California
Institute of Technology, have con-
structed one which has operated at
100000 volts But the quest for a
real high-voltage tube still continues"
Without doubt. many ways will be