STRATIFICATION OF CURRENT NEAR THE ANODE SURFACE IN A GLOW-DISCHARGE IN A GAS-FLOW AND EFFECT OF DOUBLING THE STRATIFICATION PERIOD

The results of studies of spatial variations in the intensity of the a node glow in an elevated-pressure glow discharge in a transverse gas f low are presented. The stratification of the anode glow, resulting in the formation of separate glowing regions extended along the gas flow, is experimentally observed; the stratification period doubles downstr eam the how. The onset of instability near the anode surface is studie d numerically in the diffusion-drift model. In the region near the ano de, the possibility of formation of current structures extended along the gas flow is demonstrated; it is shown that, downstream of the flow , the period of the current stratification doubles. The calculation re sults show that current inhomogeneities can arise even if the current distribution at the anode surface is initially uniform, and there are no initial perturbations.