A cikin bincikensa game da gudanar da wutar lantarki a cikin iskar gas mai ƙananan matsin lamba, ya gano cewa yayin da aka rage matsin lamba, wutar lantarki mara kyau (cathode) ya bayyana yana fitar da haskoki (abin da ake kira "cathode rays", wanda yanzu aka sani ya zama rafin lantarki kyauta, kuma ana amfani da shi a cikin na'urorin nuna katode ray). Kamar yadda waɗannan misalan suka nuna, ya kasance majagaba a cikin gini da amfani da bututun fanko don nazarin abubuwan da suka faru na zahiri. Ya kasance, a sakamakon haka, ɗaya daga cikin masana kimiyya na farko don bincika abin da ake kira plasma a yanzu kuma ya gano shi a matsayin yanayi na huɗu na al'amarin a 1879.
da spinthariscope