Formation of the fibrous structure of a current shell in a powerful pulse discharge

The stability of the current shell formed during the ionization of gas in a strong pulse discharge is considered. In the initial stages of a powerful pulse discharge $(Z$ pinch$)$ the electric current in the gas experiences a skin effect, and a thin current shell is formed around the insulating wall of the chamber. Experiments show that the current shell consists of luminescent filaments. It is assumed that the reason for the decomposition of the current layer into filaments may be the nonuniform ionization of the gas after breakdown.