Bifurcations in the theory of current transfer to cathodes of dc discharges and transitions between different modes

Concentration of electrical current onto the surface of electrodes of gas discharges in well-defined regions, or current spots, is often the rule rather than the exception. These spots occur on otherwise uniform electrode surfaces, a regime where one might expect a un(...)

Efficient methods of modelling of electric arcs in high-pressure environment are of high importance for many technical devices, and the interaction of arc plasmas with electrodes, in the first place, the cathode, is currently a bottleneck. This explains a surge of interest in plasma-electrode interaction inhigh-pressure arc discharges in the scientific community that has occurred over the past couple o(...)

Understanding of mechanisms of operation of cathodic spots of vacuum arc discharges, including the role of explosive electron emission, is a challenging topic of high scientific interest and importance for applications. We conducted this research on the suggestion of, and in collaboration with, colleagues from Siemens Corporate Technology (Erlangen, Germany), one of the aims being application of result(...)