Instantaneous and efficient surface wave excitation of a low pressure gas or gases

Abstract From the Canadian patent

A system for instantaneously ionizing and continuously delivering energy in the form of surface waves to a mixture of low pressure gases, comprising a source of rf energy, a discharge tube (such as a fluorescent lamp), an rf shield, and a coupling device responsive to rf energy from the source to couple rf energy directly and efficiently to the mixture of gases to ionize at least a portion of the gases and to provide energy to the gases in the form of surface waves. The majority of the rf power is transferred to the gases near the inner surface of the discharge tube to efficiently transfer rf energy as excitation energy for at least one of the gases. The most important use of the invention …