Calculated microwave breakdown voltages in nitrogen, oxygen and air from DC data

The general microwave breakdown characteristic in nitrogen, oxygen and air is calculated from the DC dependence of the rimary ionization coefficient and the electron mean energy on the reduced electric field using basic equations reviously obtained by the authors. Specific breakdown characteristics are then obtained using the effective electric field concept and experimental mean electron collision frequencies; these calculated characteristics agree excellently with experimental values. This has application for microwave cavities operating at altitudes up to 100 km