Optical diagnostics on dense Z -pinch plasmas
- MS E-526, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 (United States)
A novel point-diffraction'' interferometer has been implemented on the Los Alamos solid fiber {ital Z}-pinch experiment. The laser beam is split into two legs {ital after} passing through the plasma. The reference leg is filtered with a pin-hole aperture and recombined with the other leg to form an interferogram. This allows compact mounting of the optics and relative ease of alignment. The {ital Z}-pinch experiment employs a pulsed-power generator that delivers up to 700 kA with a 100 ns rise time through a fiber of deuterium or deuterated polyethylene (CD{sub 2}) that is 5-cm long and initially solid with radius {ital r}{approx}15 {mu}m. The interferometer, using a {Delta}{ital t}{approx}200 ps pulse from a Nd:YAG laser frequency doubled to {lambda}=532 nm, measures the electron line density and, assuming azimuthal symmetry, the density as a function of radial and axial position. Calculations predict Faraday rotations of order {pi}/2 for plasma and current densities that this experiment was designed to produce. The resulting periodic loss of fringes would provide the current density distribution.
- OSTI ID:
- 7009197
- Journal Information:
- Review of Scientific Instruments; (United States), Vol. 63:10; ISSN 0034-6748
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
LINEAR Z PINCH DEVICES
PLASMA DIAGNOSTICS
INTERFEROMETERS
LASER RADIATION
PLASMA DENSITY
SAUSAGE INSTABILITY
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
INSTABILITY
LINEAR PINCH DEVICES
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
OPEN PLASMA DEVICES
PINCH DEVICES
PLASMA INSTABILITY
PLASMA MACROINSTABILITIES
RADIATIONS
THERMONUCLEAR DEVICES
700320* - Plasma Diagnostic Techniques & Instrumentation- (1992-)