B. Cikhardtova

Filamentary structure of plasma produced by compression of puffing deuterium by deuterium or neon plasma sheath on plasma-focus discharge

The present experiments were performed on the PF-1000 plasma focus device at a current of 2 MA with the deuterium injected from the gas-puff placed in the axis of the anode face. The XUV frames showed, in contrast with the interferograms, the fine structure: filaments and spots up to 1 mm diameter. In the deuterium filling, the short filaments are registered mainly in the region of the internal plasmoidal structures and their number correlates with the intensity of neutron production. The longer filamentary structure was recorded close to the anode after the constriction decay. The long curve-like filaments with spots were registered in the big bubble formed after the pinch phase in the head of the umbrella shape of the plasma sheath. Filaments can indicate the filamentary structure of the current in the pinch. Together with the filaments, small compact balls a few mm in diameter were registered by both interferometry and XUV frame pictures. They emerge out of the dense column and their life-time can be greater than hundreds of ns.

Measurement of the target current by inductive probe during laser interaction on terawatt laser system PALS

Measurements of the return-current flowing through a solid target irradiated with the sub-nanosecond kJ-class Prague Asterix Laser System is reported. A new inductive target probe was developed which allows us measuring the target current derivative in a kA/ns range. The dependences of the target current on the laser pulse energy for cooper, graphite, and polyethylene targets are reported. The experiment shows that the target current is proportional to the deposited laser energy and is strongly affected by the shot-to-shot fluctuations. The corresponding maximum target charge exceeded a value of 10 μC. A return-current dependence of the electromagnetic pulse produced by the laser-target interaction is presented.

Existence of a return direction for plasma escaping from a pinched column in a plasma focus discharge

The use of multi-frame interferometry used on the PF-1000 device with the deuterium filling showed the existence of a return motion of the top of several lobules of the pinched column formed at the pinched plasma column. This phenomenon was observed in the presence of an over-optimal mass in front of the anode, which depressed the intensity of the implosion and the smooth surface of the pinched plasma column. The observed evolution was explored through the use of closed poloidal currents transmitted outside the pinched plasma. This interpretation complements the scenario of the closed currents flowing within the structures inside the pinched column, which has been published recently on the basis of observations from interferometry, neutron, and magnetic probe diagnostics on this device.

The evolution of the plasmoidal structure in the pinched column in plasma focus discharge

In this paper, a description is provided of the evolution of the dense spherical-like structures—plasmoids—formed in the pinched column of the dense plasma focus at the current of 1 MA at the final phase of implosion of the deuterium plasma sheath and at the phase of evolution of instabilities both at the time of HXR and neutron production. At the stratification of the plasma column, the plasma injected to the dense structures from the axially neighboring regions forms small turbulences which increase first the toroidal structures, and finally generates a non-chaotic current plasmoidal structure with central maximal density. This spontaneous evolution supports the hypothesis of the spheromak-like model of the plasmoid and its sub-millimeter analogy, high-energy spot. These spots, also called nodules formed in the filamentary structure of the current can be a source of the energy capable of accelerating the fast charged particles.

The influence of the nitrogen admixture on the evolution of a deuterium pinch column

The application of a mixture of nitrogen and deuterium for the gas-puffing along the anode axis in deuterium plasma-focus discharges, as carried out at megaampere-level currents, enabled observations of the filamentary structure, and the decrease in the transformation velocity of the plasma column to be performed. It made possible to investigate the instability evolution during the production of hard X-rays and fast neutrons in more detail. The constriction of a plasma column transforms itself during the final phase of the compression into one or more small dense plasmoid-like structures which are separated by narrow necks. During the next phase, these structures start to decay by an expansion, in which a part of the plasma volume maintains its compactness. This evolution is explained by an increase and later decrease in the internal poloidal current component by reconnections of the associated magnetic lines, which are responsible for the acceleration of electron and ion beams.

Investigation of compression of puffing neon by deuterium current and plasma sheath in plasma focus discharge

This paper presents the results of the research of the influence of compressed neon, injected by the gas-puff nozzle in front of the anode axis by the deuterium current and plasma sheath on the evolution of the pinch, and neutron production at the current of 2 MA. The intense soft X-ray emission shows the presence of neon in the central region of the pinch. During the implosion and stopping of the plasma sheath, the deuterium plasma penetrates into the internal neon layer. The total neutron yield of 1010–1011 has a similar level as in the pure deuterium shots. The neutron and hard X-ray pulses from fusion D-D reaction are as well emitted both in the phase of the stopping implosion and during the evolution of instabilities at the transformation of plasmoidal structures and constrictions composed in this configuration from both gases. The fast deuterons can be accelerated at the decay of magnetic field of the current filaments in these structures.

Filamentation in the pinched column of the dense plasma focus

The paper describes the filamentary structure observed in the high-energy ultraviolet radiation for discharges performed at the hydrogen- or deuterium-filling and at the puffing of hydrogen, deuterium or helium, in a mega-ampere dense plasma-focus facility. The lifetime of this structure overcomes 50 ns. These filaments connect the surface of a pinched column with internal plasmoids formed at different combinations of filling and puffing gases and they should transport some current and plasma. During all the investigated deuterium shots, the fusion-produced neutrons were recorded. Therefore, deuterons should be present in the region of their acceleration, independent of the applied puffing of the gas. Simultaneously with the observed filaments, inside the dense plasma column small plasma-balls of mm-dimensions were observed, which had a similar lifetime (longer than the relaxation time) and quasi-stationary positions in the discharge volume. The observed filaments and balls might be a manifestation of the...

Influence of the Al wire placed in the anode axis on the transformation of the deuterium plasma column in the plasma focus discharge

In this paper, we describe the influence of an Al wire of 270 μm in diameter placed along the anode axis on the transformation of the deuterium pinch column in a megaampere (MA) plasma focus device. The evolution of the pinched column and of the wire corona was investigated by means of the multiframe interferometry, neutron and X-ray diagnostics. The wire corona did not influence considerably on the evolution of dense plasma structures and neutron production, but it increased the plasma density and consequently, the currents around its surface. The distribution of the closed internal currents (ranging hundreds of kA) and associated magnetic fields amounting to 5 T were also estimated in the dense plasma column and in plasmoidal structures at the near-equilibrium state. The description is based on the balance of the plasma pressure and the pressure of the internal poloidal and toroidal current components compressed by the external pinched column. The dominant number of fusion deuterium-deuterium (D-D) neut...

Increase in the neutron yield from a dense plasma-focus experiment performed with a conical tip placed in the centre of the anode end

The paper describes the evolution of self-organized structures inside a pinched plasma column during the phase of the effective production of fusion neutrons, as observed in the mega-ampere plasma focus experiment performed with a conical tip placed in the centre of the anode face. In a comparison with the plane anode face configuration, the described anode shape facilitated transformations in the pinch column during the neutron production and increased the neutron yield several times. Simultaneously, it decreased the minimal diameter and the length of the pinched column, and it depressed the first neutron pulse. It also induced shorter pulses of X-rays and neutrons, which enabled the determination of a temporal difference between the emission of electron and deuteron beams. The fast electrons were produced mainly during a disruption of the pinch constriction, while the fast deuterons – during the formation and explosion of plasmoids. The paper also presents the temporal evolution of a current distributio...

Transformation of the ordered internal structures during the acceleration of fast charged particles in a dense plasma focus

The paper concerns important differences in the evolution of plasma column structures during the production of fusion neutrons in the first and subsequent neutron pulses, as observed for plasma-focus discharges performed with the deuterium filling. The first neutron pulse, of a more isotropic distribution, is usually produced during the formation of the first big plasmoid. The next neutron pulses can be generated by the fast deuterons moving dominantly in the downstream direction, at the instants of a disruption of the pinch constriction, when other plasmoids are formed during the constriction evolution. In both cases, the fusion neutrons are produced by a beam-target mechanism, and the acceleration of fast electron- and deuteron-beams can be interpreted by transformation and decay of the magnetic field associated with a filamentary structure of the current flow in the plasmoid.