Electron and Neutral Density Distributions of Vacuum Arcs Under Anode-Spot Mode

Abstract

The two-dimensional density distributions of electrons and neutral vapor in vacuum arcs under type-1 and type-2 anode-spot modes were measured using a Shack-Hartmann method. The electron density for type 2 was higher than type 1 by a factor of about three, while the neutral density was found to be almost the same between both types.