Published online by Cambridge University Press: 16 January 2009
In this paper, several empirical and semiempiricalmodels are used to describe the formative time delay dependence onworking voltages t f (U) in neon at the pressure of13.3 mbar. Besides our models, the empirical and theoreticalmodels from the literature are successfully applied to theexperimental data, without and with empirical corrections on thebasis of our analysis. Good agreements with experimental data werefound primarily at low overvoltages and with empiricalcorrections even at high overvoltages. The statistically basedmeasurements of the breakdown time delayare shown to be convenient for the study of the formative timedelay under different conditions.