MACROSCOPIC INSTABILITY OF THE POSITIVE COLUMN IN A MAGNETIC FIELD

Journal Article · Mon Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1962 · Physics of Fluids (U.S.)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1706621· OSTI ID:4795548

Paulikas, G. A.; Pyle, R. V.

The positive column of a glow discharge was previously shown to become unstable when immersed in a longitudinal magnetic field of the order of 1 kgauss, the instability transforming the azimuthally symmetric column into a constricted rotating helical stage. The measurements were extended, with emphasis on the properties and growth of the instability, to permit a quantitative comparison between experiment and the theory of Kadomtsev and Nedospasov. The properties of the helical state were measured in H/sub 2/, D/sub 2/, He, and Ne as functions of gas pressure and tube radius. The dependence of the critical magnetic field, and the frequency and wavelength of the oscillation on the kind of gas, pressure, and the tube radius are in fairly good agreement with the predictions made by the perturbation theory of Kadomtsev and Nedospasov. It is interesting that the onset of the instability is also fairly well predicted by the simple sheath- instability theory of Hoh, but the agreement is not as good as in the previous case, nor is the nature or appearance of the instability specified. (auth)

• Research Organization: Univ. of California, Berkeley
• NSA Number: NSA-16-014176
• OSTI ID: 4795548
• Report Number(s): UCRL-9682; 0031-9171
• Journal Information: Physics of Fluids (U.S.), Journal Name: Physics of Fluids (U.S.) Vol. Vol: 5; ISSN PFLDA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

CONFIGURATION
CYLINDERS
DEFORMATION
DEUTERIUM
FREQUENCY
GASES
GLOW DISCHARGES
HELIUM
HYDROGEN
LAYERS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MEASURED VALUES
NEON
OSCILLATIONS
PERTURBATION THEORY
PHYSICS
POSITIVE COLUMN
PRESSURE
ROTATION
STABILITY
TUBES