Formation of two-dimensional current sheets under high initial pressure conditions

The possibilities of current-sheet formation in two-dimensional magnetic fields with a null line as well as the characteristic features of the plasma dynamics under high initial pressure conditions (helium, P ₀≈300 mtorr) are investigated for the first time. It is shown that current-sheet formation and efficient compression of the plasma into a sheet require that the magnetic field gradient be sufficiently large. A brightly emitting compact region with electron density N _e∼9×10¹⁶ cm⁻³, an order of magnitude higher than the gas atom density, was observed to form at the center of the layer. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 114, 1202–1214 (October 1998)