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Investigations of the Current Density in the Cathode Spot of a Vacuum Arc
Author(s) -
Anders S.,
Jüttner B.,
Pursch H.,
Siemroth P.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
beiträge aus der plasmaphysik
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.531
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1521-3986
pISSN - 0005-8025
DOI - 10.1002/ctpp.19850250507
Subject(s) - vacuum arc , cathode , current (fluid) , arc (geometry) , current density , impact crater , materials science , optics , physics , electrical engineering , geometry , engineering , thermodynamics , mathematics , quantum mechanics , astronomy
A short review is given on the problem of the current density in the cathode spot of a vacuum arc, theoretical models and experimental results are discussed. A new measuring method is presented which is directly related to the current carrying area of the spot. It leads to current densities of 10 12 A/m 2 at clean surfaces (comparable with results obtained from crater measurements) and 10 9 −10 10 A/m 2 with contaminated surfaces.