Moving striations in tapered discharge tube

Moving striations in the tapered tube with smoothly changing radius are studied experimentally. The frequency depends on local tube radius by nature and increases toward the narrow end of the tube, independent of direction and magnitude of the discharge current. Radius‐frequency versus radius‐pressure is compatible with the similarity law for striations in cylindrical tubes. When there appears synchronization, the frequency becomes apparently constant throughout the tube column. The wavelength shows different dependences on radius without and with the synchronization. An important role is played by the feedback through an electric circuit. Also, direction and magnitude of the current have influence on the phenomena. Steady states in the tubes are compared with those in cylindrical tubes. An attempt is made to explain the observed synchronizations and then the remarkable discrepancies between the previous experiments can be eliminated.