The effect of an external magnetic field on the evolution of cylindrical, luminous anode double layers ('firerods') from spherical 'fireballs' has been investigated in weakly ionized argon or xenon discharge plasmas. The 'fireballs' are initially produced from an additional discharge which forms when a disc electrode (3-5 cm diameter) is biased, relative to the local plasma potential, to a voltage larger than the ionization potential of the neutral gas. If a magnetic field of sufficient strength is applied in the direction normal to the disc, the fireball is transformed into an elongated magnetic field aligned luminous object which we refer to as the 'firerod'. The dependence of the firerod length on magnetic field strength and neutral gas pressure has been studied. The formation of the firerods requires that the ions be weakly magnetized; an upper limit on the magnetic field strength also exists, beyond which they cannot be maintained. The firerods have been analysed in terms of a simple model which attempts to account for the observed dependence of their length on magnetic field and neutral gas pressure. The results of this study are relevant to the so called 'plasma contactors' which are used to control the potential of spacecraft in low Earth orbit.
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An et al. (1994) studied this question.
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