Multiply charged metal ions in high current pulsed vacuum arcs

We show that vacuum arc plasma discharges with a current of several kiloamperes and duration of a few microseconds can generate multiply charged metal ions with charge states greater than 10+. The physical mechanism behind this is discussed, suggesting an optimum arc current for higher charge states...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physics of plasmas 2017-12, Vol.24 (12)
Main Authors: Yushkov, G. Yu, Nikolaev, A. G., Frolova, V. P., Oks, E. M., Rousskikh, A. G., Zhigalin, A. S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aluminum
Bismuth
Cathodes
Charge distribution
Discharge
Electric arcs
Electrode materials
Gold
Ion charge
Ionization
Ions
Magnesium
Metal ions
Plasma
Plasma physics
Plasmas (physics)
Pulse duration
Tantalum
Zirconium
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:We show that vacuum arc plasma discharges with a current of several kiloamperes and duration of a few microseconds can generate multiply charged metal ions with charge states greater than 10+. The physical mechanism behind this is discussed, suggesting an optimum arc current for higher charge states depending on the pulse duration and cathode material. Measurements of ion mass-to-charge ratio and images taken with nanosecond resolution suggest that, higher charge state ions are produced at characteristic distances of ∼10 mm from the cathode as the arc current peaks, and the process responsible for their generation is additional ionization as the discharge is pinched by its self-magnetic field. The maximum and mean ion charge states reveal a considerable increase for the all cathode materials studied: magnesium, aluminum, zirconium, tin, tantalum, gold, lead, and bismuth. For bismuth ions, the maximum charge state reaches a record-breaking value of 17+ and the mean of the charge state distribution is 12.6+. The results obtained are of interest for vacuum arc discharge physics and for ion beam technologies.
ISSN:1070-664X
1089-7674
DOI:10.1063/1.5003676