Unexpected peculiarities of ignition of a self-sustained discharge in crossed electric and magnetic fields

It is reported about the discovery of a double current structure upon ignition of a self-sustaining glow discharge in crossed electric and magnetic fields – in an E $\times$ B discharge. The initial state for the first current jump is neutral gas; for the second – plasma. The measured ignition curves and time characteristics of the process are given. The ion current was used as a parameter that made it possible to register two modes of the E $\times$ B discharge. For the first time, a different character of discharge ignition for Penning pairs is shown.