Magnetic rearrangement and change in plasma concentration during disruption of current layer

The rapid breakdown of a plane current layer is investigated experimentally. Measurements of the magnetic field in the vicinity of the current layer, and of the electron concentration therein, are used to find the structure of the magnetic field, the spatial distributions of the current density, the current velocity and the average transverse particle energy in the layer, as well as their behavior over time. The magnetic field structure and current distribution within the layer are analyzed. Changes in the electron concentrations during successive stages of evolution of the current layer are explained. It is found that the abrupt breakdown of the current layer is a complex process, during which numerous characteristics change abruptly: the structure of the magnetic field and the geometry of the layer, the conductivity of the plasma, the current velocity and the characteristic energy of the particles. The process occurs in two stages.