Influence of the electrode system on the emission characteristics of a vacuum spark. Plasma Physics Reports Volume 39, Issue 11, November 2013, Pages 900-909

The influence of the electrode system on the emission characteristics of a high-current low-inductance vacuum spark is investigated. It is shown that the structure and composition of the spark plasma radiating in the X-ray spectral range depend substantially on the geometry and relative position of the electrodes. A mechanism related to the effect of the initial distribution of the electric field in the electrode gap is proposed to explain such a dependence. The conditions in which the radiating plasma forms from the erosion products of one or both electrodes are determined.