Velikhov Electrothermal Instability Cancellation by a Modification of Electrical Conductivity Value in a Streamer by Magnetic Confinement

Abstract

We present a method, confirmed experimentally, allowing the cancellation of Velikhov instability by operating a local magnetic field reduction along a lane, which enhances local electric conductivity and electron-gas collision frequency, due to a local passage into a Coulomb collision regime and the subsequent lowering of the Hall parameter below its critical value, close to 2.

Keywords

• non equilibrium plasmas
• MHD
• Velikhov instability.