Stability problems in a conducting crossed-field diode

Current work on excess noise and chaos in the presence of a magnetic field justifies further inquiry into the more general question of stability of such systems. We have shown that the electron flow in a conducting, crossed-field diode is fundamentally unstable for certain values of the magnetic field and the injection current density. In the process, we have systematised some of the earlier investigations of electron flow stability in the absence of the magnetic field.