Small-Scale Anode Activity in Vacuum Arcs

Coordinated high-speed movies, streak photographs, and voltage/current oscillograms have been taken for vacuum arcs on copper-based electrodes at peak currents up to 70 kA in half-cycle pulses. These results show that small-scale transient luminous anode-spot activity is associated with the strong voltage noise that precedes the establishment of the conventional large anode spots. The characteristic dimensions of the small-scale spots go below a millimeter, and may be less than 100 μm. Unlike cathode spots of that size, these small anode spots always move in the I × B direction. This small-scale activity is especially pronounced in experimental systems initially containing surface films of volatile matter. Good correlations have been established between bursts of anode light and corresponding bursts of arc voltage noise, both of which appear to be associated with variations in the small luminous structures. The practical importance of the small transient luminous anode activity reported here is in its clear tendency to advance the formation of electrode jets, particularly under experimental conditions favoring the evolution of gas or vapor from anode surfaces. It has theoretical significance as a precursor to the formation of the usual large anode spots and jets, and as a possible source of structure within large anode spots.