Measurement of the temperature of evaporating macroparticles aftercurrent zero of vacuum arcs

The concentration of copper and chromium vapor after current zero of vacuum arcs between chromium-copper contacts was measured simultaneously by the atomic-absorption technique. Temperatures between 1900 K and 2200 K were derived from the absorption data, assuming that the ratio of concentrations of copper and chromium vapor is equal to the ratio of vapor pressures at a given temperature. The temperatures obtained in this way were assigned to droplets of molten contact material evaporating in flight