Fast imaging of transient electron injection in planar magnetron discharges

We describe an example of the use of a high-speed camera in the study of transient phenomena in planar magnetron discharges. Low-current, spontaneous arcs are used to inject a stream of electrons into a magnetron plasma. Fast imaging of the arcs shows how the perturbation produced by the injected electrons travels in the E × B direction with minimum average speeds of approximately 7.4×10 5 m s −1 .