Stationary striations in an argon plasma as a bifurcation phenomenon

Abstract

The formation of stationary striations in an argon plasma due to the development of an instability is studied using the equations for the competing plasma population species. The nonlinear dynamic stability of the system is analyzed using a two-time perturbation procedure. The unstable uniform steady state bifurcates to a new state with a sinusoidal density variation in space leading to the formation of balls of glowing plasma. This is analogous to phenomena of structure formation that appear in chemical reactions and biological processes.