Soft photon effects on vacuum power flow. Master's thesis

Technical Report · Tue Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1981

OSTI ID:6383389

Mitchell, O J; Blaher, R J

Understanding the physical processes of high power electrical energy is of major importance for the advancement of state-of-art directed energy, simulation and confined fusion programs. Generation of high voltage, short duration pulses may result in high energy density plasma which produces quantities of VUV and soft X-ray photons in the range of 0.15-10 ev. Power transport down vacuum lines presents two problems which must be dealt with in every application-insulator flashover and electrode gap closure. The pulsed flashover and ablative closure mechanisms under soft VUV photon fluence are described. Two tests were conducted. First, an insulator surface was subjected to VUV photons (0.5 ev) using apertures of 0.0156 to 0.5 inches in diameter with and without a quartz window. The apertures had no effect in inhibiting a flashover; however, the quartz window prevented the occurrance of insulator flashover. Second the gap closure rate of copper electrodes under the photon fluence of 6 x 10'9 watts per square meter was measured. A gap closure rate of 0.35 cm/microsecond was determined for the copper electrodes.

• Research Organization: Air Force Inst. of Tech., Wright-Patterson AFB, OH (USA). School of Engineering
• OSTI ID: 6383389
• Report Number(s): AD-A-115516/7; AFIT/GE/EE-81D-12
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
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BEAM-PLASMA SYSTEMS
CURRENTS
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
ELECTRIC DISCHARGES
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
ELECTRICAL INSULATORS
ELECTRODES
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
EQUIPMENT
FAR ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION
FLASHOVER
IONIZING RADIATIONS
OPENINGS
PLASMA
RADIATIONS
SOFT X RADIATION
ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION
WINDOWS
X RADIATION