Though in relativity, the higher-than-expected ionization ability can be explained by length contraction of the Coulomb field in frames in which the ionizing particles are moving, which increases their electrical field strength normal to the line of motion.
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Although both FitzGerald and Lorentz alluded to the fact that electrostatic fields in motion were deformed ("Heaviside-Ellipsoid" after Oliver Heaviside, who derived this deformation from electromagnetic theory in 1888), it was considered an ad hoc hypothesis, because at this time there was no sufficient reason to assume that intermolecular forces behave the same way as electromagnetic ones.
Muscle contraction | Run-length encoding | Planck length | Length overall | Focal length | Amplified fragment length polymorphism | Poetic contraction | foot (length) | 35 mm equivalent focal length | Variable-length code | Uterine contraction | Unequal leg length | Stadion (unit of length) | Powder chamber of a ''Veuglaire'', caliber 130 mm, length 1.07 m, wrought iron, early 15th century, La Fère | ''Notes'' was the only full-length book published by Thomas Jefferson | Length scale | length | Foot (length) | focal length | Debye length | Cut-to-length logging | Arm's length principle | arm's length management organisation | arm's length | arc length |