Model Experiments on Study of the First Wall Erosion Under the Action of Vacuum Arcs

With d. c. vacuum arc discharges the dependence of cathode erosion rate on the transverse magnetic field induction is non‐linear. At first erosion rate rises with the magnetic induction and then drops. The maximum erosion rate value corresponds to the magnetic induction interval (50 – 115) · 10 −4 T. The range of the vacuum arc discharge maximum stability also corresponds to the same interval. When the magnetic induction rises from 2 · 10 −3 up to 1.1 · 10 −2 T ( I = 50 A), the erosion products angular distribution monotoneously narrows and with further magnetic ficld enhancement it abruptly widens. Current rise results in increasing extension of erosion products angular distribution. Asymmetry of erosion products angular distribution does not depend on the direction of the magnetic induction vector and gradually vanishes when the magnetic induction rises up to 1 · 10 −2 T and higher.