"Version: 20180801"--Title page verso."A Morgan & Claypool publication as part of IOP Concise Physics"--Title page verso.Includes bibliographical references.1. Introduction -- 2. Ionization in the electric field and the first Townsend coefficient3. Microwave breakdown -- 3.1. Microwave breakdown due to diffusion -- 3.2. Microwave breakdown in the presence of a low dc field4. Breakdown and self-…