Plasma Striations

Striations are a good example of manifestation of a glow discharge. Therefore this book brings several examples of striations in different plasmas and their applications. It also presents the detail of experimental investigations of stationary and moving striations in array, helical and spiral patterns of a plasma column which are formed by changing the operating parameters e.g., input power, working pressure, drive frequency, diameter of the glass tube, background gases, etc. Interestingly physical properties of striations can also be controlled by operating parameters. Further, theoretical formulations are attempted using a hydrodynamic model to explain the bifurcation of a plasma column in the transverse and longitudinal axes considering two-step ionization in surface wave produced plasma. Findings of this study reveal that metastable atoms provide two-step ionization which in turn excites weak instability and bifurcates plasma column in such a way that different kinds of striations are formed. This book may help for better understanding of striations in gas discharge physics which can enhance the applications of striations.