page_title: Glow discharge
section_title: Application to voltage regulation
hierarchical_section_title: Glow discharge / Application to voltage regulation
caption_attribution_description: English: Photo of a 5651 voltage-regulator tube in operation in an old piece of electronic equipment Deutsch: Glimmstabilisatorröhre 5651 in Betrieb
context_page_description: A glow discharge is a plasma formed by the passage of electric current through a gas. It is often created by applying a voltage between two electrodes in a glass tube containing a low-pressure gas. When the voltage exceeds a value called the striking voltage, the gas ionization becomes self-sustaining, and the tube glows with a colored light. The color depends on the gas used.
  Glow discharges are used as a source of light in devices such as neon lights, fluorescent lamps, and plasma-screen televisions. Analyzing the light produced with spectroscopy can reveal information about the atomic interactions in the gas, so glow discharges are used in plasma physics and analytical chemistry. They are also used in the surface treatment technique called sputtering.
context_section_description: In the mid-20th century, prior to the development of solid state components such as Zener diodes, voltage regulation in circuits was often accomplished with voltage-regulator tubes, which used glow discharge.
caption: A 5651 voltage-regulator tube in operation
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