Method of determining the sodium diffusion coefficient in inert gases

A method of measuring the sodium diffusion coefficient in neon and argon is presented. It is based on recording the concentration change of sodium in a sodium discharge as it diffuses along a discharge tube. A diagram of the apparatus is given and the technique of measurements is described. It is pointed out that the proposed method can also be used for measuring the diffusion coefficient of other alkaline metals in inert gases and their mixtures.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 8, pp. 57–62, August, 1987.