Structure of the glow of a nanosecond diffuse discharge in a strongly nonuniform electric field

The structure of the glow of a diffuse discharge in air under atmospheric pressure is studied in detail in the “rod (cathode)-plane” geometry for an electrode gap of 10 cm and a cathode tip radius from 3 cm to 2.4 μm. The amplitude of voltage across the gap was ～ 220 kV for voltage growth rate of ～10¹³ V/s and a pulse duration of 180 ns. It is found that the shape of the discharge glow strongly depends on the radius of the cathode tip. For large values of the radius, the multichannel form of the glow prevails, which is statistically transformed into a volume glow as the radius decreases from 5 mm to 60 μm. This transition is accompanied by a decrease in the amplitude of the discharge current from 440 to 140 A on the average. For ultrasmall radii of the cathode (2.4–7.7 μm), the multichannel form of the glow prevails again and the amplitude of the discharge current increases up to ～300 A.     

Instability of a spherical drop in a nonuniform electric field

Analytical calculation in the first order of smallness shows that the equilibrium shape of a drop in the field of a point charge is axisymmetric about the plane passing through the center of mass of the drop normally to the axis connecting the center of mass with the point charge. Whether the equilibrium shape of the drop is stable or not depends on the value of the field parameter, which, in turn, depends on the point charge and the distance to it. There is an asymptotic value of the critical parameter above which all modes become unstable. In the field of the point charge, the mode coupling grows; that is, a mode excited at the zero time generates oscillations of the six nearest modes with amplitudes proportional to that of the initially excited mode. If the initially excited mode loses stability, all the modes coupled with it also become unstable. The surface instability of the drop also develops when the initially excited mode is stable but at least one of the modes coupled with it is unstable.     

Transition of a diffuse discharge to a spark at nanosecond breakdown of high-pressure nitrogen and air in a nonuniform electric field

The transition of a runaway-electron-induced diffuse discharge initiated in a nonuniform electric field under a high pressure of air and nitrogen to a spark is studied. High-voltage pulses with a rise time of 0.5 ns are applied to a discharge gap with a tubular cathode having a small radius of curvature. It is shown that the leader of the spark discharge propagates toward the tubular cathode along preproduced tracks and may pass from one track to another. For a pulse rise time of about 0.5 ns and a gap length of 12 mm or more, it is found that spark leaders originating at the cathode (which has a small radius of curvature) do not reach the anode and accordingly, do not cause the spark breakdown of the gap. It is confirmed that the spark breakdown of the gap is associated with a spark leader that moves away from the plane electrode after the appearance of a bright spot on it.     

Formation of the microscopic structure of high-voltage nanosecond diffuse discharges in sharply nonuniform geometry

The possibility of the development of ionization instability in the avalanche and plasma phases (of the long-wave and short-wave type, respectively) is demonstrated for high-voltage nanosecond discharges in sharply nonuniform geometry. Specific implementation is determined by the electric field distribution in the cathode region and by the emissivity of the cathode. The spatial structure of the discharge formed in both cases is self-similar.     

Neutron emission during a nanosecond discharge in deuterium in a nonuniform electric field

Neutron emission during a nanosecond deuterium discharge formed at the nonuniform electric field is investigated. A stable neutron yield is observed when the cathode is made of metallic plates covered by a layer of deuterated zirconium and the anode is made of stainless steel in the form of a tube. It is shown that, when the deuterium pressure equals several Torr, neutrons are emitted from both deuterated and deuterium-free cathodes. The influence of the anode design on the neutron yield is studied.     

Equilibrium configurations of the conducting liquid surface in a nonuniform electric field

Possible equilibrium configurations of the free surface of a conducting liquid deformed by a nonuniform external electric field are investigated. The liquid rests on an electrode that has the shape of a dihedral angle formed by two intersecting equipotential half-planes (conducting wedge). It is assumed that the problem has plane symmetry: the surface is invariant under shift along the edge of the dihedral angle. A one-parametric family of exact solutions for the shape of the surface is found in which the opening angle of the region above the wedge serves as a parameter. The solutions are valid when the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the liquid is zero. For an arbitrary pressure difference, approximate solutions to the problem are constructed and it is demonstrated the approximation error is small. It is found that, when the potential difference exceeds a certain threshold value, equilibrium solutions are absent. In this case, the region occupied by the liquid disintegrates, the disintegration scenario depending on the opening angle.     

Conditions for runaway electrons in a gas diode with a strongly nonuniform electric field

The dynamics of runaway electrons in a gas diode in a sharply nonuniform electric field determined by the geometry of electrodes is considered. The analytical solution of the equation of motion of electrons for an edge cathode shows that their runaway at the periphery in the region of weak field is possible only if the applied potential difference exceeds a certain threshold determined by the interelectrode distance and the parameters of the gas. This condition supplements a classical runaway condition that the field strength at the emission edge of the cathode should be higher than a threshold value depending only on the parameters of the gas. According to our estimates, this new condition imposes higher requirements than the classical condition on the field strength in the limit of the strongly sharp edge of the cathode.     

Variation in thickness of wetting water films in nonuniform electric field

We study the effect of an increase in the thickness of a water film at the inner surface of a glass capillary filled with a NaCl solution and with a disperse octane particle in the form of a column bounded by circular menisci under the action of an external dc electric field. Experimental data are obtained on the film thickness depending on the field characteristics. Analysis of experimental data shows the conformity of experimental data to early model ideas of authors. The projection of the constant dipole moment of a water molecule onto the field direction is estimated on the basis of these ideas.     

On the equilibrium shapes of a conducting drop in a uniform and nonuniform electric field

The equilibrium shape of a drop in the electrostatic field of a point charge and a point dipole is asymptotically calculated in terms of the dimensionless deformation of the shape and a ratio between the drop’s radius and the distance to the point charge (dipole). Irrespective of the degree of nonuniformity of the field, the prolate spheroidal deformation (typical of the uniform field) is shown to be the main reason for the change in the equilibrium shape of the spherical drop. When the nonuniformity of the field grows, the equilibrium shape becomes more and more asymmetric and different from the spheroidal one. This, all other things being equal, may influence the critical conditions for the instability of the drop’s surface against an induced charge. It follows from the aforesaid that the drop in the field of the dipole will be the first to undergo instability with the electrostatic pressure on the drop being the same.     

Two types of current oscillations in a low-current spark discharge initiated in a nonuniform electric field

Experimental data for a spark discharge in the tip-plane electrode configuration in argon are considered for the case when the discharge current is limited by a high-resistivity ballast resistor. It is shown that the current passing in the thin plasma channel of a low-current spark represents a steady sequence of regular pulses. It is found that low-frequency current pulses of the low-current spark are accompanied with high-frequency current oscillations of nanosecond duration.     

Magnetoelectric effect in garnet films with the induced magnetic anisotropy in a nonuniform electric field

The mechanism underlying the strong magnetoelectric effect in epitaxial films of magnetic garnet is proposed. This mechanism is not related to the existence of the electrically charged domain walls. It results from the effect of a nonuniform electric field on the induced magnetic anisotropy and depends on the crystallographic orientation of the films.     

Pulsed discharge in nitrogen and argon under an elevated pressure in a nonuniform electric field

The characteristics of a discharge and radiation in nitrogen and argon under pressures of 10–760 Torr and the discharge formation without pre-ionization of the gap from an auxiliary source are considered. A peak is detected on the pressure dependence of the radiation power of the second positive system of nitrogen for E ₀/p ～ 270 V/cm Torr and nitrogen pressure p ～ 70 Torr. In the pressure range 10–760 Torr and for a voltage pulse leading front duration of ～ 10 ns, an electron beam is formed behind the grid anode with various half-amplitude pulse durations. It is shown that, under the given conditions, the electron beam is formed at the voltage pulse front both in the case of a discharge gap breakdown and in the absence of a clearly manifested breakdown, as well as for a 10-ns delay of breakdown at the leading front of a discharge current pulse.     

Breakdown of gas gaps in a nonuniform electric field at a subnanosecond voltage pulse rise time

The influence of the nitrogen pressure on the breakdown voltage in a nonuniform electric field is studied. Voltage pulses with nanosecond and subnanosecond rise times are applied to the gas gap. Simultaneously with the application of voltage pulses, supershort avalanche electron beam pulses are observed behind a foil anode. It is found that, when a runaway electron beam is generated and voltage pulses have a subnano-second rise time, the breakdown voltage rises as the nitrogen pressure decreases from 9 × 10⁴ to 1 × 10² Pa. Experimental data are in good agreement with pulsed breakdown analytical curves.     

Optical characteristics of the plasma of a nanosecond atmospheric-pressure volume discharge in a nonuniform electric field

Optical characteristics of the plasma of nanosecond volume discharges in air, nitrogen, krypton, argon, neon, and Ar/N₂ and Ar/Xe mixtures at elevated pressures are investigated. The discharges are excited in a gap with a cathode of small curvature radius. The waveforms and spectra of plasma emission from discharges in different gases in the 230-to 600-nm spectral range are measured. Optical generation in an Ar/Xe mixture is achieved at an active length of 1.5 cm. A comparison is performed of the spectral characteristics of the emission from nitrogen, krypton, argon, and neon excited by a volume discharge in a nonuniform electric field, by a nanosecond electron beam, and by a pulsed volume discharge in a uniform electric field at a high initial voltage.     

On the motion of charged particles in an alternating nonuniform electric field

The equations of motion for a charged particle in an electric field featuring a stationary and an oscillating component are considered for the case where the force of friction is linear in the particle velocity. The averaging of these equations over the period of field oscillations is legitimate under some specific conditions. The most general expression for an additional stationary force acting on the particle under these conditions is derived, and the limiting values of this force are found. Applications of the results obtained in the present study are considered. Such applications include the use of pulsed currents in the electrochemical dimensional treatment of materials.     

Spatial macroscopic structure of a pulsed microsecond discharge in barrier-metal gaps with a nonuniform electric field distribution

Electric and spatial characteristics of a pulse-periodic microsecond barrier discharge are investigated in different geometries—triangular prism, plate, and corrugated electrode—that are in contact with a dielectric plate and form a dihedral angle with it. It is established that, in the space of the dihedral angle, the regions of discharge represent alternating cylindrical layers with the axes lying on the contact line. The first conducting layer is formed at some distance from the contact edge of the electrode. The number of layers and their localization are determined by the angle formed between an electrode and the dielectric plate. A physical model explaining the main features of the structure formation is proposed.     

Magnetorotational instability in a nonuniform magnetic field

It is shown that the characteristics of the magnetorotational instability noticeably change in the presence of the inhomogeneity of a magnetic field in which rotation occurs. A decrease in the magnetic field with an increase in the distance from the rotation center, which is typical for astrophysical objects, can lead to a significant decrease in the threshold velocity of the object medium rotation, as well as to mitigation of the requirements on a rotation velocity profile that are necessary for the development of instability. Other examples that demonstrate the indicated effects are given.     

Magnetorotational instability in a nonuniform magnetic field

It is shown that the characteristics of the magnetorotational instability noticeably change in the presence of the inhomogeneity of a magnetic field in which rotation occurs. A decrease in the magnetic field with an increase in the distance from the rotation center, which is typical for astrophysical objects, can lead to a significant decrease in the threshold velocity of the object medium rotation, as well as to mitigation of the requirements on a rotation velocity profile that are necessary for the development of instability. Other examples that demonstrate the indicated effects are given. Original Russian Text ? V.I. Ilgisonis, I.V. Khalzov, 2007, published in Pis’ma v Zhurnal éksperimental’noĭ i Teoreticheskoĭ Fiziki, 2007, Vol. 86, No. 11, pp. 815–818.