Sheath instabilities in Hall plasmas devices

TL;DR

This paper identifies a new class of sheath instabilities in Hall plasma devices with open magnetic field lines, driven by sheath resistivity and equilibrium electric fields, potentially explaining anomalous transport phenomena.

Contribution

It introduces a novel instability mechanism in Hall plasmas caused by sheath resistivity, expanding understanding of plasma behavior in open magnetic configurations.

Findings

Sheath resistivity causes a robust instability.

Instability driven by equilibrium electric field.

Potential role in anomalous transport in Hall plasmas.

Abstract

New class instabilities is identified in Hall plasmas in configurations with open magnetic field lines. It is shown that sheath resistivity results in a robust instability driven by the equilibrium electric field. It is conjectured that these instabilities play a crucial role in anomalous transport in Hall plasmas devices.