Analysis of anomalous resistivity during the conduction phase of the plasma erosion opening switch: Interim report

Technical Report · Tue Feb 02 04:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:5514445

Kulsrud, R; Ottinger, P F; Grossmann, J M

During the conduction phase of the plasma erosion opening switch, the current channel width in the body of the plasma away from the electrodes has been observed to be many times wider than the collisionless skin depth. Anomalous collisions have been invoked to explain this discrepancy. Here the problem is analyzed using an electrostatic Vlasov approach and an unstable ion acoustic mode is identified. The derived growth rate is fast enough and the nonlinear saturation level is high enough to explain the observed magnetic field penetration. 21 refs., 3 figs.

• Research Organization: Naval Research Lab., Washington, DC (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AI08-79DP40092
• OSTI ID: 5514445
• Report Number(s): NRL-MR-6149; ON: DE88006382
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
420200 -- Engineering-- Facilities
Equipment
& Techniques
640410* -- Fluid Physics-- General Fluid Dynamics
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
COLLISIONS
DAMPING
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
ELECTRODES
EQUIPMENT
INSTABILITY
ION ACOUSTIC WAVES
ION WAVES
LANDAU DAMPING
MAGNETIC FIELDS
NONLINEAR PROBLEMS
OPTICAL DISPERSION
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PLASMA SWITCHES
PLASMA WAVES
SKIN EFFECT
SWITCHES