Restrike particle beam experiments on a dense plasma focus. Annual report, 30 September 1979-30 September 1980

Technical Report · Sun Nov 30 04:00:00 EST 1980

OSTI ID:5865359

Gerdin, G

Particle-beam diagnostic tools have been developed to study the particle beams generated by a dense plasma focus device (DPF). These tools include an ion Faraday cup, solid state nuclear track detectors (SSNTD), electron beam Rogowski coils, an electron beam Faraday cup, and an electron beam magnetic spectrometer. These tools (excepting the SSNTD) all have a bandwidth of greater than 100 MHz and experimental tests of these devices are consistent with theory. The SSNTD have been applied in a unique way to study deuteron beams of high fluence (> 10 to the 15th power/cm/sup 2/) generated by the DPF and the preliminary results are consistent with the neutron yield of the DPF using a beam-target model for neutron generation. Electron and ion energy spectras of the accelerated electron and ion beams have been measured using the above tools and it is found that the number of particles per unit energy obey a power law with particle energy for both types of particles. The exponent of this power law is roughly the same for both types of particles and varies between -3.3 and -4.0. Parallel plate coupling between the DPF device and the capacitor bank and an 80 kV trigger pulse with a rise time of less than 5 ns on the mainbank spark gaps appear to result in superior DPF performance in terms of neutron yield when compared with other DPF devices of the same mainbank current or bank energy. The application of the results of this research to opening switch technology is discussed.

• Research Organization: Illinois Univ., Urbana (USA). Fusion Studies Lab.
• OSTI ID: 5865359
• Report Number(s): AD-A-095865/2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700102* -- Fusion Energy-- Plasma Research-- Diagnostics
BARYONS
BEAMS
DESIGN
DEUTERON BEAMS
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
ELECTRON BEAMS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
EQUIPMENT
FERMIONS
HADRONS
ION BEAMS
LEPTON BEAMS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
NEUTRONS
NUCLEONS
OPEN PLASMA DEVICES
PARTICLE BEAMS
PLASMA DIAGNOSTICS
PLASMA FOCUS DEVICES
SPECTROMETERS
SWITCHES
TARGETS
THERMONUCLEAR DEVICES