Bifurcations and chaos in a current-carrying ion sheath

Journal Article · Sun Nov 01 00:00:00 EST 1992 · Physics of Fluids B; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.860365· OSTI ID:6946524

Komori, A; Kono, M; Norimine, T; Kawai, Y ^[1]

---

1. Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Engineering Sciences, Kyushu University, Kasuga, Fukuoka 816 (Japan)

Cascading bifurcations to chaos are investigated experimentally and theoretically in a current-carrying stable plasma. A dc plasma current is required to produce an electron-depleted thick sheath on a grid, which obeys the Child--Langmuir law of space-charge-limited current in a diode. Bifurcation cascade and chaotic behavior are exhibited when an external periodic oscillation is applied to the grid, and are in good agreement for the first time with a theory, which describes ion dynamics in the Child--Langmuir sheath and is represented by the differential equation with three independent variables. A fractal dimension predicted by the theory is verified by the experiment.

• OSTI ID: 6946524
• Journal Information: Physics of Fluids B; (United States), Vol. 4:11; ISSN 0899-8221
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
TURBULENCE
PLASMA INSTABILITY
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
FRACTALS
GRIDS
PLASMA SHEATH
WALL EFFECTS
ELECTRODES
EQUATIONS
INSTABILITY
700340* - Plasma Waves
Oscillations
& Instabilities- (1992-)