Plasma and Spot Phenomena in Electrical Arcs

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xxxi

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2. Plasma, Particle Interactions, Mass and Heat Phenomena

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

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   2. Base Plasma Particle Phenomena at the Surface and in Plasma Volume

      • Isak Beilis

      Pages 3-36

   3. Atom Vaporization and Electron Emission from a Metal Surface

      • Isak Beilis

      Pages 37-67

   4. Heat Conduction in a Solid Body. Local Heat Sources

      • Isak Beilis

      Pages 69-100

   5. The Transport Equations and Diffusion Phenomena in Multicomponent Plasma

      • Isak Beilis

      Pages 101-112

   6. Basics of Cathode-Plasma Transition. Application to the Vacuum Arc

      • Isak Beilis

      Pages 113-139

3. Vacuum Arc. Electrode Phenomena. Experiment

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 141-141

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   2. Vacuum Arc Ignition. Electrical Breakdown

      • Isak Beilis

      Pages 143-164

   3. Arc and Cathode Spot Dynamics and Current Density

      • Isak Beilis

      Pages 165-212

   4. Electrode Erosion. Total Mass Losses

      • Isak Beilis

      Pages 213-254

   5. Electrode Erosion. Macroparticle Generation

      • Isak Beilis

      Pages 255-283

   6. Electrode Energy Losses. Effective Voltage

      • Isak Beilis

      Pages 285-305

   7. Repulsive Effect in an Arc Gap and Force Phenomena as a Plasma Flow Reaction

      • Isak Beilis

      Pages 307-345

   8. Cathode Spot Jets. Velocity and Ion Current

      • Isak Beilis

      Pages 347-420

   9. Cathode Spot Motion in a Transverse and in an Oblique Magnetic Field

      • Isak Beilis

      Pages 421-491

   10. Anode Phenomena in Electrical Arcs

       • Isak Beilis

       Pages 493-542

4. Cathodic Arc. Theory

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 543-543

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   2. Cathode Spot Theories. History and Evolution of the Mechanisms

      • Isak Beilis

      Pages 545-598

   3. Gasdynamic Theory of Cathode Spot. Mathematically Closed Formulation

      • Isak Beilis

      Pages 599-667

This book is devoted to a thorough investigation of the physics and applications of the vacuum arc – a highly-ionized metallic plasma source used in a number of applications – with emphasis on cathode spot phenomena and plasma formation. The goal is to understand the origins and behavior of the various complex and sometimes mysterious phenomena involved in arc formation, such as cathode spots, electrode vaporization, and near-electrode plasma formation. The book takes the reader from a model of dense cathode plasma based on charge-exchange ion-atom collisions through a kinetic approach to cathode vaporization and on to metal thermophysical properties of cathodes. This picture is further enhanced by an in-depth study of cathode jets and plasma acceleration, the effects of magnetic fields on cathode spot behavior, and electrical characteristics of arcs and cathode spot dynamics. The book also describes applications to space propulsion, thin film deposition, laser plasma generation, and magnetohydrodynamics, making this comprehensive and up-to-date volume a valuable resource for researchers in academia and industry. 

• electrical arc
• cathode spot
• plasma jet
• spot motion
• cathode sheath
• metal vaporization
• near-electrode plasma formation
• plasma acceleration
• metallic film deposition
• anode spot theory
• Vacuum arc
• electric arc

• Department of Electrical Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

  Isak Beilis

Isak Beilis is a Professor in the Faculty of Engineering at Tel Aviv University. He received his PhD and Doctor of Science in Physics and mathematics from the Academy of Sciences, Moscow, and subsequently held positions at  Lomonosov University, Moscow, the Weizmann Institute for Science, joining Tel Aviv University in 1992. He has held visiting positions at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA in 1996 and 1997, at the Max Planck Institute, Berlin, and the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Italy. His research centers around physical phenomena in high-current electrical discharges, at the electrode surface and in near-electrode plasma. In 2018 he was awarded the Walter P. Dyke Award for his many important contributions to discharge physics.

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