Optical diagnostics on dense Z-pinch plasmas
A novel ``point-diffraction`` interferometer has been implemented on the Los Alamos Solid Fiber Z-Pinch experiment. The laser beam is split into two legs 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 Z-Pinch experiment employs a pulsed-power generator that delivers up to 700 KA with a 100ns rise-time through a fiber of deuterium or deuterated polyethylene (CD{sub s}) that is 5-cm long and initially solid with radius r{approx}15{mu}m. The interferometer, using a {triangle}t{approx}200ps pulse from a Nd:YAG laser frequency doubled to {lambda}=532nm, 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.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 10137334
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-92-1043; CONF-920362-18; ON: DE92011228
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 9. topical conference on high-temperature plasma diagnostics,Santa Fe, NM (United States),15-19 Mar 1992; Other Information: PBD: [1992]
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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