Effect of the electric field on the primary scintillation from CF4

Abstract The effect of an electric field on the primary scintillation from CF 4 in the ultraviolet and visible wavelength regions (200–800 nm) is reported. The study was performed in the pressure range from 1 to 5 bar and at electric fields of up to 2 kV/cm. Photon emission spectra, fully corrected for the detection response, and the absolute photon yields in the ultraviolet and visible regions are reported. The CF 4 emission spectra and the photon fluxes show no variations with the field at low pressures ( ∼ 1 bar ) , while at higher pressures the effect of the field on the scintillation is strong: the ultraviolet emission intensity increases and the visible intensity decreases with the field strength. Time spectra of the primary scintillation for several applied electric field strengths are also reported for the two wavelength regions of light emission.