THE DYNAMICS OF VORTEX STRUCTURES AND STATES OF CURRENT IN PLASMA-LIKE FLUIDS AND THE ELECTRICAL EXPLOSION OF CONDUCTORS .1. THE MODEL OF ANONEQUILIBRIUM PHASE-TRANSITION

A set of equations according to which the conducting medium consists o f two fluids-laminar and vortex - has been obtained by transforming th e MHD equations. In a similar way, an electronic fluid is assumed to c onsist of a laminar and a vortex fluid. This system allows one to stud y the formation and dynamics of large-scale hydrodynamic fluctuations. From this model, a model of a non-equilibrium phase transition belong ing to a class of the Lorenz-type models has been developed. Vortex st ructures resulting in the increase in an effective resistance of the c onducting medium and the interruption of current have been shown to ap pear even at constant transport coefficients in a laminar electronic f luid. Critical exponents of the order parameters (amplitudes), which f or a direct current coincide with the critical exponents in the Lorenz model, have been found. A spatial scale of the structure described by the theory is in good agreement with experiment. A further evolution of vortex structures has been shown to occur by splitting the spatial scale. A similarity, according to which the following sequence of spli tting takes place: k0-->k1 = 0.5k0-->k2 = 2k0-->k3 = 2k2, etc, has bee n hypothesized.