Аннотация:Extended (up to several tens of centimeters) high-current (hundreds of amperes) electricarcs in various gases at the atmospheric pressure are studied experimentally and theoretically. Suchdischarges have been studied on the electric discharge stand of the P-2000 facility of the Institute ofMechanics of Moscow State University. The data on the influence of an external magnetic field on thestability of such discharges and the formation of branched current channels are clarified. One of theareas of the research is the study of the effect of the orientation of the magnetic field imposed on thearc on the processes of development of the discharge in various gas media, such as air, CO2, Ar, andN2. The data for argon and nitrogen are presented most fully. The experiments were carried out ina chamber with transparent walls. The calculation and the theoretical study are carried out on the basisof an electrical engineering model using the empirical data on the volt-ampere characteristics of arcsbetween graphite electrodes. It is found that the stability of high-current arcs is significantly affectedby electrode jet-flame dynamics. At the same time, the traditional models of arcs in the external magneticfield without taking these factors into account show that the direction of the external axial fielddoes not affect the stability of the arcs, affecting only the direction of their twisting during the developmentof helical instability.