pinch effect

American  

noun

Physics.

1. the tendency of an electric conductor or stream of charged particles to constrict, caused by the action of a magnetic field that is produced by a flow of electricity.

---

pinch effect British  

noun

1. the constriction of a beam of charged particles, caused by a force on each particle due to its motion in the magnetic field generated by the movement of the other particles

---

Etymology

Origin of pinch effect

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

Another example of the pinch effect is found in the solar plasma, where jets of ionized material, such as solar flares, are shaped by magnetic forces.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

This force is responsible for the pinch effect in electric arcs and plasmas.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

This "pinch effect" is the most promising approach to thermonuclear power, but unfortunately the pinched current wriggles so violently that it tends to slam in millionths of a second against the walls of its container.

From Time Magazine Archive

Scientists of all countries know about the pinch effect, but their work with it has been minor, or is still secret.

From Time Magazine Archive

Kurchatov told how Russian scientists experimented elaborately with one of the most promising methods, the "pinch effect."

From Time Magazine Archive