Apokamp Discharge Model Predicts 100-220 km/s Jets from Floating Electrode Bends
The preprint provides a time-dependent model explaining apokamp formation at electrode bends. Experiments and simulations align on jet speed and temperature, yet direct fusion applications remain speculative. A methods note: numerical solutions of a 2-D drift-diffusion model benchmarked against streak images from a single laboratory setup.
The paper models an apokamp as a self-sustaining ionization wave launched from the curvature-induced electric-field maximum without requiring gas flow. Simulations match experimental streak-camera data on propagation speeds of 100-220 km/s and confirm that floating-potential electrodes create the necessary field asymmetry. This mechanism differs from conventional plasma jets driven by convection or dielectric barrier discharges.
Fusion relevance is indirect: the model highlights how floating surfaces can trigger fast ionization fronts in air, a process that could inform electrode design in high-pressure plasma-facing components or pulsed-power switches. However, the work remains at atmospheric pressure and does not address the vacuum, high-temperature, or neutron environments of magnetic confinement devices.
No peer-reviewed follow-up or independent replication has appeared. Strengthening evidence would require controlled experiments varying electrode geometry and gas composition while measuring electric-field distributions with sub-nanosecond resolution.
Related studies on atmospheric-pressure plasma jets for sterilization and material processing show similar speeds but rely on forced flow, underscoring the distinctive no-convection feature reported here.
Kozhevnikov team: Independent replication measuring electric-field maps at the bend will appear within 18 months or the model will require revision of the field-asymmetry assumption.
Sources (2)
- [1]Primary Source(https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.26356)
- [2]Supporting Source(https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5097421)