Dust Ejection and Stream Formation via Cathode Spot Ignition at the Surface of a Dielectric-Covered Electrode

Author

Gillman, Eric D. ; Foster, John E.

Author_Institution

Dept. of Nucl. Eng. & Radiol. Sci., Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

Volume

39

Issue

11

fYear

2011

Firstpage

2770

Lastpage

2771

Abstract

Cathode spots have been observed to form on an electrode surface covered with dielectric powder when biased at large negative voltages in the presence of a background plasma. The ignition of cathode spots leads to the ejection of the powder particles, which subsequently form dust streams. Particle imaging velocimetry (PIV) techniques are used to track the ejected particles and obtain the distribution of particle ejection velocities.

Keywords

arcs (electric); cathodes; dusty plasmas; ignition; plasma diagnostics; plasma transport processes; arc discharge; cathode spot ignition; dielectric powder; dielectric-covered electrode surface; dust ejection process; particle ejection velocity distribution; particle imaging velocimetry technique; powder particle ejection process; stream formation process; Cathodes; Cutoff frequency; Dielectrics; Plasmas; Streaming media; Surface treatment; Arc discharges; communication; electric breakdown; imaging; particle tracking; plasmas; space vehicle communication;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Plasma Science, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0093-3813

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/TPS.2011.2147336

Filename

5783940