Abstract: A glow discharge source for the elemental analysis of solid samples of material by means of optical glow discharge spectroscopy (GD-OES) or glow discharge mass spectroscopy (GD-MS) or secondary neutral particle mass spectroscopy (SNMS), a glow discharge being produced by means of a connected electrical voltage source on the sample of material between the latter and an anode and evaluated spectrometrically, wherein a current transformer component for detecting the current flowing between the glow discharge and the voltage source is disposed at or in the anode or connected electrically with the anode.