2026-10-04 Internet Archive (archive.org) - Trichel
1. Redmond and Smith, "Project Whirlwind: A Case History in Contemporary Technology" (1975), full text
URL [web]: https://archive.org/stream/bitsavers_mitwhirlwirlwindACaseHistoryInContemporaryTechnolo_14582082/Redmond_Project_Whirlwind_A_Case_History_In_Contemporary_Technology_1975_djvu.txt - The Ad Hoc Panel on Electronic Digital Computers of the Research and Development Board was created 29 July 1949: "Dr. Lyman R. Fink, chairman, Dr. Gervais W. Trichel, and Dr. Harry Nyquist". - Quote: "Dr. Gervaise W. Trichel had obtained an M.S. degree in engineering at MIT, a Ph.D. in electrical engineering at the University of California in 1938, and was then serving as a staff assistant to the General Manager, Chrysler Corporation." Bearing: this identifies G. W. Trichel of the 1938 Berkeley corona papers as Gervais William Trichel, a career Army officer. It is a historical-record lead (priority 4) and explains why there is no later corona work by Trichel. The two corona papers (1938, 1939) are his doctoral-period output. He then went to Army Ordnance fire-control and rocket work (1938-1947), and to Chrysler (1947-1963) per Prabook.
2. L. B. Loeb, "Fundamental Processes of Electrical Discharge in Gases" (Wiley, 1939), DLI copy
Search [web]: https://archive.org/advancedsearch.php (title query; six copies listed, identifiers incl. in.ernet.dli.2015.74804, fundamentalproce0000leon) Full text [web]: https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.74804/2015.74804.Fundamental-Processes-Of-Electrical-Discharge-In-Gases_djvu.txt (17 mentions of Trichel) - Preface quote: Loeb thanks "Dr. Kip and Dr. G. W. Trichel (Captain, Ordnance Corps, U. S. Army) for the many valuable discussions on the mechanism of corona discharge". This confirms the identity from a second, independent source of 1939. - On the positive corona, Loeb credits "the corona discharge studies of Kip and Trichel in collaboration with the author" with "important information on the inhibiting effect of space charges and the nature and propagation of the streamers". Oscillograms in Fig. 243 are "taken from the work of Trichel". - Fig. 247: "Trichel's Very Much Enlarged Sketch of Negative Point Corona" (Crookes dark space, negative glow, etc., near the point). Loeb's text says that in the rest of the gap the weak field (a few hundred V/cm) allows "a considerable accumulation of slowly moving negative ions". Fig. 248 schematically shows ion density and field distortion during the clearing (around book pp. 515-520). Bearing: this is Trichel's own visual and oscillographic material, preserved in his supervisor's book. It is the closest accessible primary record of Trichel's negative-corona observations, and bears on claims 1-2. The sketch of a structured glow at the point is worth comparing with C. F. Gallo's later microscope observation of a narrow ionization channel (see uwo note). Not done: page images of Figs. 243, 247 and 248 were not rendered (no download made). Next run: view these pages in the archive.org book reader and save page images if the owner approves downloads.