Pinching arc plasmas by high-frequency alternating longitudinal magnetic field

Abstract

Arc plasmas have promising applications in many fields, and exploring their properties is of interest. This research paper presents detailed pressure-based finite volume simulations of an argon arc. Simulations of the free-burning argon arc show good agreement with experiment. We observe an interesting phenomenon that an argon arc concentrates intensively in a high-frequency alternating longitudinal magnetic field. This is different from existing constricting mechanisms, as here the arc is pinched through continuous dynamic transitions between shrinking and expansion. The underlying mechanism is that via working together with an arc's motion inertia, the applied high-frequency alternating magnetic field is able to effectively play a “plasma trap” role, which leads the arc plasma to be confined to a narrower space. This finding may provide a new approach to constrict arc plasmas.