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Pinch (plasma physics)
Compression of an electrically conducting filament by magnetic forces / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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For other uses, see Pinch (disambiguation).
A pinch (or: Bennett pinch[2] (after Willard Harrison Bennett), electromagnetic pinch,[3] magnetic pinch,[4] pinch effect,[5] or plasma pinch.[6]) is the compression of an electrically conducting filament by magnetic forces, or a device that does such. The conductor is usually a plasma, but could also be a solid or liquid metal. Pinches were the first type of device used for experiments in controlled nuclear fusion power.[7]
Pinch phenomena
Lightning discharge bolts showing electromagnetically pinched plasma filaments
A 1905 study of pinches, where electric lightning was used to create a Z-pinch inside a metal tube.[1]
Pinches occur naturally in electrical discharges such as lightning bolts,[8] planetary auroras,[9] current sheets,[10] and solar flares.[11]