ANOMALOUS ELECTRIC-FIELDS INSIDE A DENSE-PLASMA OF A CURRENT SHEET

For the first time there have been analyzed profiles of electric-field -sensitive n(alpha) spectral lines of the Li-like impurity ions CIV, N V, OVI emitted by a hot dense plasma of a plane current sheet. Theoret ical profiles of these lines have been calculated with an allowance fo r Anomalous Electric Fields (AEF). By comparing the experimental and t heoretical profiles of the lines it has been established for the first time that in the plane current sheet there were developed AEF of rms strengths F-0 approximate to (100-120) kV/cm in the time interval from tau = -0.2 mu s to tau = 0 (the time tau was counted from the instant of the maximum intensity of the spectral line OVI 5291 Angstrom). The se results have been backed up by a similar analysis of the experiment al profiles of the spectral line HeII 4686 Angstrom of the primary gas of the discharge. The AEF reached these strengths at the same instant of time, tau = -0.2 mu s, when electron and ion temperatures reached their maxima: T-e greater than or equal to 100 eV, T-i approximate to 300 eV. The instant tau = -0.2 mu s corresponds to a transition from t he metastable stage to the explosive phase of the current sheet evolut ion. At this time the ratio of the AEF energy density to the thermal e nergy density of the plasma was xi = F-0(2)/[8 pi/NeTe - NiTi)] approx imate to 10(-3): which exceeded a similar ratio for the thermal wave f ield by three orders of magnitude.