This article is cited in 1 paper

Plasma Investigations

The structure of clusters and jets of pulsed plasma expanding into vacuum

V. A. Shuvalov, M. G. Bystritskii, G. S. Kochubei, A. E. Churilov

Institute of Technical Mechanics National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Dnepropetrovsk

Abstract: The space-time distribution of the basic kinetic parameters of a plasma is experimentally determined under conditions of expansion of plasma clusters and jets into vacuum. It is demonstrated that the dynamics and structure of plasmoids injected by pulsed erosion plasma accelerators of the electrothermal type are characterized by two successive stages or two modes of acceleration, namely, the Joule heating of electrons in the initial region of the path and the collisionless expansion of rarefied plasma.

UDC: 533.95

Received: 14.03.2003

 English version: High Temperature, 2004, 42:1, 20–27