Circular periodic motion of plasma produced by a small-scale vacuum arc

T. Zhuang, A. Shashurin, M. Keidar, I. Belis

A small-scale plasma source based on a low-current vacuum arc is described. Temporal and spatial evolution of the ion current is measured. The plasma plume circular motion follows the cathode spot motion in the retrograde direction and is guided along the magnetic field line. It is observed that the applied magnetic field efficiently guide the plasma leading to an increase in the output ion current by a factor of 50 in comparison with that without the magnetic field.