Lab Notebook — townsend-v6, wfc lane

2026-09-17, S. Meyer

Score: 0.4703 → 0.4958

What changed: Pushed cell voltage to 557V (VIC gain ×4.6 off 120V drive) at f_r = 27.53kHz, holding tank Q at 4.6 (coil Q 172.4, so losses are dominated by the tank, not the choke copper). This lands the 0.1mm vapor film right at 662V Paschen threshold, 222 Td — inside the 3-6 eV cold-chemistry window, still sub-breakdown. Townsend criterion M = 0.169, sub-critical, with γ = 0.03 feedback still open. Surface scaling ×0.25 on the electrodes brought λ_D to 51nm and C_dl to 19.6µF, which raised displacement current fraction to 82.7% and breakdown margin to ×56.

Why the physics rewards it: We're sitting in the target corner — avalanche multiplying (M approaching but not crossing 1) while the gas stays cold. High displacement-current fraction plus a sub-critical Townsend margin means most of the delivered power is field/polarization work (per-molecule 300.83µV) rather than resistive/Faradaic heating. Faradaic leakage (72.8mA, leak score 0.57) is present but inhibited while voltage climbs the ladder, so it's not yet eating the score.

Bench checks:

• Rate the 1.61A circulating tank current (CW) on wire and switch gear — that's the real thermal/safety constraint, not the 161mA average.
• Verify actual Paschen breakdown voltage empirically at the 0.1mm film gap; 662V is a model estimate.
• Confirm τ_EDL (33.8ms, ~932 carrier cycles) isn't being violated by duty cycle — check EDL charge state at 10% duty doesn't reset improperly.
• Watch leak score creep as amp leakage inhibition is relaxed.

Next lever: Try lowering γ further (smaller/lower-work-function electrode) or shortening d to buy more Townsend margin room — chase M toward ~0.3–0.4 without crossing 1, which should let displacement-current fraction climb past 82.7% without touching breakdown.