Study of the formation of plasma clusters in the near-cathode region of a low-current vacuum arc

The objective of this work is to study the system of a droplet flying from a cathode and its own dense plasma [a plasma cluster (PC)] surrounding it. The regularities of the formation of clusters are investigated, and the parameters of the cluster plasma are measured. It is supposed that plasma clusters result from intensive heating, evaporation, and ionization of the droplet material. In so doing, the most important factor responsible for an increase in heat flux from the surrounding plasma to the droplet is thermal electron emission from the droplet surface.