Felipe Veloso

Characterization of the axial plasma shock in a table top plasma focus after the pinch and its possible application to testing materials for fusion reactors

The characterization of plasma bursts produced after the pinch phase in a plasma focus of hundreds of joules, using pulsed optical refractive techniques, is presented. A pulsed Nd-YAG laser at 532u2009nm and 8u2009ns FWHM pulse duration was used to obtain Schlieren images at different times of the plasma dynamics. The energy, interaction time with a target, and power flux of the plasma burst were assessed, providing useful information for the application of plasma focus devices for studying the effects of fusion-relevant pulses on material targets. In particular, it was found that damage factors on targets of the order of 104 (W/cm2)s1/2 can be obtained with a small plasma focus operating at hundred joules.

Neutron energy distribution and temporal correlations with hard x-ray emission from a hundreds of joules plasma focus device

In this paper, experimental measurements of neutron energy distribution and hard x-ray emission from a 320J deuterium operated plasma focus device are presented. Temporal measurements of neutron and hard x-ray emission are studied using different arrangements of six scintillator-photomultiplier detector systems, located either radially or axially with respect to the focus symmetry axis. The axial-to-radial ratio of both total neutron yield and neutron energies indicates anisotropic emission, which is consistent with a 100u2009keV kinetic energy of the deuterons in the axial direction. The energy spread among different shots was ~0.5 MeV in the axial direction which is 2.5 times the spread in the radial direction. Furthermore, temporal differences on hard x-rays and neutron production over each direction are found. These differences show correlation with neutron energies. This could be related to the existence of two temporally separated neutron production times corresponding to different moments during the plasma focus discharge.

Ablation dynamics in wire array Z-pinches under modifications on global magnetic field topology

The dynamics of ablation streams and precursor plasma in cylindrical wire array Z-pinches under temporal variations of the global magnetic field topology is investigated through experiments and numerical simulations. The wire arrays in these experiments are modified by replacing a pair of consecutive wires with wires of a larger diameter. This modification leads to two separate effects, both of which impact the dynamics of the precursor plasma; firstly, current is unevenly distributed between the wires and secondly, the thicker wires take longer to fully ablate. The uneven distribution of current is evidenced in the experiments by the drift of the precursor off axis due to a variation in the global magnetic field topology which modifies the direction of the ablation streams tracking the precursor position. The variation of the global magnetic field due to the presence of thick wires is studied with three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations, showing that the global field changes from the expe...

Current measurement by Faraday effect on GEPOPU.

The design of an optical current sensor to be used in a pulsed power generator is presented. The current sensor is based on the polarization rotation by the Faraday effect. GEPOPU is a pulsed power generator, 110 kA, 120 ns double transit time, 1.5 Ω coaxial geometry, and current rise time of 50 ns. Two different optical geometries surrounding the conductor were tried, using Amici roof prism and pentaprism to go around the current once, as a way to preserve the state of polarization along the optical path by means of complementary reflections within the sensing element. We believe this to be the first time that such large and rapidly varying currents have been measured with this configuration. The values obtained for both geometries agree with the values obtained with a Rogowski coil. The traces obtained are completely noise-free and no significant time lag has been observed between the current determined from the Faraday rotation and the current measured using a Rogowski coil.

Wire array experiments in a low impedance and low current generator

In this work, a preliminary study about the behavior of a low impedance generator on different wire array configurations is reported. The experimental measurements were carried out on a small multi-purpose generator (1.2μF, 345J, 47.5nH, T/4 = 375 ns and Z = 0.2Ω in short circuit) which produces currents up to 122 kA with 500 ns quarter period, when a charging voltage of 24kV and a wire load are used. Two types of configurations were tested: parallel wires (two and four) and X-pinch configurations. The experiments were carried out on W, Al, and Cu wires with different diameters. The discharge was characterized by means of a set of diagnostics which included: Rogowski coil; filtered PCD detector; filtered PIN diode; gated VUV/soft X-ray pinhole camera, Shadow diagnostic and dark field Schlieren technique. From the set of experimental results, the following observations can be established: (i) The generator is highly sensitive to the changes of load impedance due to its low impedance design. (ii) Every shot shows a dip in the current derivative signal shortly after the discharge onset time (from 6 to 40 ns), which is inversely related to the load resistance. (iii) Both configurations show a similar dynamic to those observed in experiments of higher current and shorter quarter period. (iv) At the X-pinch experiments, two or more hard X-ray bursts are detected, around 200 ns from the current onset time. These X-ray bursts are correlated with the dips observed in the current derivative signal.

An analytical model of multi-component radio frequency capacitively coupled plasma and experimental validation

An analytical model describing the hydrogen added argon radio frequency capacitively coupled plasma is presented and its predictions are tested with the experimental results. In the analytical model, it is found that the rf current density, electron temperature and density, as well as the density of light ion in multi-component plasma collectively influence the normalized sheath thickness and potential. As for low pressure rf plasma, the sheath potential is the qualitative measure of the DC self bias, the change of DC self bias with hydrogen addition is predicted in this model. The values of electron density and temperature as a function of hydrogen content in the discharge is calculated on the basis of a homogeneous discharge model using the rms values of current and voltage as well as by rf compensated Langmuir probe at different experimental conditions. In the experiment with hydrogen added argon plasma, the rf power as well as the working pressures are varied. The presence of hydrogen in the argon dis...

Collision dynamics of laser produced carbon plasma plumes

We present preliminary experimental observations of the collision processes between two orthogonal laser produced plasmas in a low pressure neutral gas background. A Nd:YAG laser, 340 mJ, 3.5 ns, at 1.06 μm, operating at 10 Hz, is used in the experiments. The main laser beam is divided in two beams by a 50% beam splitter, and then focused over two rotating graphite targets, with characteristic fluence 3.5 J/cm2. Experiments are conducted in a range from a base pressure of 0.3 mTorr, up to 50 mTorr argon. The dynamics of the laser plasmas is characterized by time resolved and time integrated optical emission spectroscopy (OES), with 20 ns and 10 ms time resolution, and 50 ns time resolved plasma imaging of visible plasma emission. Clear effects of the neutral gas background on the postcollision plasma dynamics are identified. The overall dynamics of the post-collision plasma is found to be consistent with high collisionality of the carbon plasma plumes, which results in full stagnation on collisioning.

Effects of uneven mass distribution on plasma dynamics in cylindrical wire array Z-pinches

The formation and dynamics of cylindrical wire array Z-pinch plasmas using uneven mass distribution is studied through experiments and computer simulations. In this study, the initial mass distribution is modified using different wire sizes within the same array, in contrast to the most standard wire arrays. Since the ablation rate of a particular wire material is related to current driver characteristics but not to the wire size, the use of different wires within an array produces time differences for complete ablation of each size. This changes the plasma dynamics and precursor plasma formation as compared to standard arrays. The experiments have been carried out on the Llampudken pulsed power generator (~350kA in ~300ns) using a 1:6 mass ratio among different wires of a single array. Plasma dynamics are studied using time-resolved laser interferometry (532nm, 5ns FWHM) and XUV imaging (5ns exposure time) in both side-on and end-on directions respect to the array. Experimental results show the formation of a dense, precursor plasma column on the array axis at early times, which shifts its position toward the thicker wires at later times at velocities of the order of 104 m/s. Numerical simulations using the 3-D MHD code GORGON are able to reproduce the experimental observations. They show that the larger mass of thicker wires induces modifications in the global magnetic field topology, producing the shifting in the precursor position as observed in the experiments. Further details on the changes of ablation dynamics and precursor formation are presented and discussed.

Studies of plasma dynamics in colliding laser plasma plumes

Summary form only given. The collision dynamics of laser produced plasma plumes exhibits particular features depending on the geometry of pre-collision laser plasma expansion conditions. In this context we have investigated the dynamic processes involved in the collision of two orthogonal laser produced plasma plumes. In the experiments we used a Nd:YAG laser, 3.5 ns, 340 mJ, at 1.06 μm, operating at 10 Hz. By using a 50% beam splitter, the laser beam is divided in two and then focused at ~3 J/cm2, over two orthogonal targets, in such a way that the resulting plasma plumes intersect at 1 cm from the target surfaces. Main diagnostics used are time and space resolved visible spectroscopy, with up to 15 ns time resolution, and plasma imaging, with 50 ns time resolution. Plasma collision experiments are performed either with two graphite target, or with graphite and titanium target. Argon background gas, up to a pressure of 100 mTorr, is used as an extra parameter to influence the plasma expansion dynamics.

Current measurement by Faraday effect on GEPOPU

The design and calibration of an optical current sensor using BK7 glass is presented. The current sensor is based on the polarization rotation by Faraday effect. GEPOPU is a pulsed power generator, double transit time 120ns, 1.5 Ohm impedance, coaxial geometry, where Z pinch experiment are performed. The measurements were performed at the Optics and Plasma Physics Laboratory of Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile. The verdet constant for two different optical materials was obtained using He-Ne laser. The values obtained are within the experimental error bars of measurements published in the literature (less than 15% difference). Two different sensor geometries were tried. We present the preliminary results for one of the geometries. The values obtained for the current agree within the measurement error with those obtained by means of a Spice simulation of the generator. Signal traces obtained are completely noise free.