Microstructure of erosion spots on the surface interacting with filamented beam plasma

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the microstructure of erosion spots in plasma focus devices, revealing filament-like patterns similar to electric current filaments, and discusses their formation possibly due to electrodynamic aggregation of nanodust.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of erosion spot microstructure and links it to filamentary electric currents, proposing a novel interpretation involving nanodust aggregation.

Findings

Erosion spots exhibit filamentary microstructures.

Structural similarity to electric current filaments observed in other plasma devices.

Discussion of nanodust aggregation as a formation mechanism.

Abstract

The fine structure of micron-sized erosion spots within coaxial rings of 10-100 micron diameter, observed in the Mather type plasma focus, is analyzed. The topological similarity of this structuring to that of electric current filaments, observed in the Filippov type plasma foci and straight Z-pinches, is shown. The possibility of interpreting this structuring in terms of the formerly suggested hypothesis for long-lived electric current filament formation, due to electrodynamic aggregation of nanodust in electric discharges, is discussed.