Friedrich Paschen was a 19th century physicist, known for his work on electrical discharges. He established the now widely used Paschen curve in his article "Über die zum Funkenübergang in Luft, Wasserstoff and Kohlensäure bei verschiedenen Drücken erforderliche Potentialdifferenz" (Weid. Annalen der Physick, 1889. 37: pp. 69-75 (96?)).

See also: Paschen's Law.