Raul Aliaga-Rossel

Development of a short pulsed corona discharge ionization source for ion mobility spectrometry

The development of a pulsed corona discharge ionization source and its use in ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) is presented. In a point-plane electrode geometry, an electrical pulse up to 12 kV, 150 ns rise time and 500 ns pulse width was used to generate a corona discharge in air. A single positive high voltage pulse was able to generate about 1.6×1010 ions at energy consumption of 22μJ. Since the temporal distribution of ions is in a pulsed form, the possibility of removal the ion gate has been investigated. By purposely arranging the interface between discharge field and drift field, nearly 107 positive ions were drawn into the drift region with absence of the ion gate after every single discharge. The positive spectrum of acetone dimer (working at room temperature) was obtained with a resolving power of 20 by using this configuration. The advantages of this new scheme are the low power consumption compared with the dc method as well as the simplicity of the IMS cell structure.

X-ray emission from 125 µm diameter aluminium wire x-pinches at currents of 400 kA

Results obtained from aluminium wire x-pinch experiments at a current level of ~400 kA, 260 ns risetime, are presented. The x-pinches were made from two 125 µm diameter wires. The x-pinches typically emitted 15 J of K-shell x-rays in nanosecond duration pulses from hot spots of diameters of ~10 µm or less. Frequently several hot spots were formed in a single discharge. Spectroscopic measurements estimate an electron temperature of about 600 eV. Spatial resolution of typically 10 µm was obtained in radiographic images. Details of the dynamics of the pinch were obtained from time resolved soft x-ray frames, showing formation of the plasma jet due to the coalescence of the expanding corona plasmas from the x-pinch limbs and ejection of plasma in the direction perpendicular to the x-pinch axis when hot spots were formed.

The formation of metallic plasmas in transient capillary discharges at high current

We report observations of the formation of a metallic plasma in a high aspect ratio z-pinch confined within a ceramic capillary. A series of experiments on different capillary geometries was undertaken in which titanium metal rings were used to promote the formation of a titanium plasma through preferential ablation. In an initial vacuum a titanium seed plasma is formed in the hollow cathode (HC) volume by a low energy laser spark. This pre-ionizing plasma is assisted in its expansion into the z-pinch volume by the electron beams generated by a pre-ionizing discharge in the capillary, due to the HC effect. Further intense e-beam activity occurs on applying the main driver current to the capillary electrodes before the discharge impedance abruptly drops to give rise to an ensuing high current z-pinch. A segmented titanium ring structure within the capillary promotes metal ablation. The discharges are performed in tubes of 60 to 110 mm length and 3 and 5 mm effective internal diameter. The main discharge current is provided from a small pulsed power switched coaxial line, at up to 150 kA. The generator may be configured to deliver two different rates of current rise and this is found to have a significant effect on the plasma dynamics. The plasma properties are obtained from observations of the axial x-ray emission. The diagnostics used are filtered Si diodes, filtered time-resolved multi-pinhole camera images and the time resolved soft x-ray spectrum from 3 to 20 nm. While a single species metal plasma is not obtained, a very significant proportion of Ti is achieved in the higher rate of current rise configuration. The fraction of Ti diminishes for the longest length discharges and for the larger diameter tube diameter, as does the observed z-pinch uniformity. There is a weak dependance of the electron temperature with tube geometry, but the plasma density falls substantially in the longer discharges. This coincides with diminished effectiveness of the transient HC.

X ray emission from X pinch experiments on the Llampüdkeñ Generator

The results from the first plasma physics experiments on the Llampüdkeñ Generator (1MA, 250 ns) are presented. X Pinch experiments have been undertaken at current levels of 400 kA with a rise time of ∼250 ns. X pinches were produced mainly from aluminium wires of different diameters and with varying numbers of wires. Results from X-ray diagnostics characterising the emitted radiation are presented. The diagnostics include filtered PIN diodes and a pinhole and slit-wire camera. Radiation of energy greater then 2.5 keV was emitted from hot spots in timescales of a few nanoseconds. Using the results from the slit-wire camera, the diameter of the hot spots is shown to be less than 5 µm.

X-ray and plasma dynamics of an intermediate size capillary discharge

A small pulsed power generator, 150 kA and 120 ns, is used to form a plasma in a 5-mm diameter alumina ceramic tube. A hollow cathode geometry is used and a preionized plasma is formed in an initial vacuum background by focussing a pulsed Nd:YAG laser onto a metallic target in the hollow cathode volume. The evolution of the preionizing plasma and its expansion into the main discharge volume may be assisted by applying a current of order Amps for a variable time before the main discharge current is applied. Strong electron beams are observed both during the preionizing stage and during the start of the main current. The plasma species and temporal evolution during the main discharge is observed using X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray pinhole imaging. On varying the rate of rise of the current in the pinching phase, the transient hollow cathode effect was found to be significant at early times in the discharge in the case of the lower value of dI/dt. Both the pinch temperature and diameter depend on varying the dI/dt from 1.5 to 3 /spl times/ 10/sup 12/ A/s. The implications of plasma injection for metal vapor capillary discharges are discussed.

Laser initiated hollow gas-embedded Z-pinch

Results of new optical method of generating a precursor plasma for a shell gas embedded Z-pinch are presented. Experiments were performed on a pulse power generator using a peak current up to 150 kA with a rise time of 70 ns, 120 ns pulse length. The optical precursor plasma was generated by using a Nd-Y AG laser, 200 ml, 8 ns at 1.06 μm. Two different optical schemes were used, one consists of a combination of lenses capable of producing a hollow beam; while the other uses an axicon to generate the hollow beam. In both cases the hollow beam was focused at the cathode surface where metallic ring plasma, of either 2 or 6 mm diameter, is created. The annular preionization is created immediately before or during the first 30 ns after the line voltage is applied. The discharge was carried out in a chamber filled with hydrogen gas at 1/3 atm. Flat electrodes were used with 10 mm separation. The anode has a 6 mm diameter central hole to allow the passage of the preionizing laser. Optical diagnostics (schlieren, shadowgraphy and interferometry) were performed using the second harmonics of the same laser used to preionize. Preionizing using an axicon results in better formed hollow discharges.

Simple holographic polarogram

A new technique capable of obtaining quantitative values of the rotation angle of the polarization vector by using holography is presented. This is a two-stage holographic process; during the recording stage a hologram of the object of interest is obtained. The reference beam is composed of two beams that form a small angle between them and keep their polarization states at right angles to each other. In the reconstruction stage of the hologram, two images from the hologram are obtained along two different angles. As a result of the interference between these two images, a set of parallel fringes is formed at the image plane. The fringe contrast on the reconstruction is related to the angle of the polarization vector of the light at each position on the image plane. Measurements of the rotation of the polarization angle of a fraction of a degree were obtained. The main application of this technique is in the study of transient phenomena, where single-shot measurements are the only means of obtaining reliable data.

Laser-produced annular plasmas

A new technique is presented for the formation of annular plasmas on a metal surface with a high-power laser using a combination of axicon and converging lenses. The annular plasma formed on a titanium target in a chamber of hydrogen gas was investigated using schlieren imaging and Mach Zehnder interferometry. Expansion of the plasma was shown to be anisotropic with velocities of ∼103–104m∕s. Electron densities of 1018cm−3 were measured with radial profiles that confirm the presence of a hollow structure. The interferometric observations also show the presence of an inward shock wave traveling to the center of the annular plasma, which compresses the background neutrals, reaching a density around 18 times initial gas density, at 95ns after the initial annular plasma is produced.

Experimental observation in a high current capillary discharge

Experimental observations of the soft X-ray emission from a 5 mm diameter, 60 mm length capillary discharge in an initial vacuum show the effectiveness of transient hollow cathode mechanisms in establishing the initial plasma conditions for a 120 kA Z-pinch. Hollow cathode geometry is used. A laser spark behind the cathode orifice initiates an axial electron beam when an external bias provides a current-limited preionizing current in the capillary. These beams intensify during the first few ns of the main discharge. The Z-pinch dynamics are measured using time-resolved soft X-ray spectroscopy and filtered pinhole photography. These are found to vary according to the rate of rise of the current, 1.5 and 3.0 × 1012 A/s, the polarity and level of the prionizing current. A stable pinch is formed with a preionizing current of ∼50A as an e-beam from the hollow cathode and with the higher value of di/dt. With higher values of preionizing current the e-beams show diode rather than hollow cathode origin and the stability of the following Z-pinch deteriorates notably. The pinched plasma is predominantly of wall material at ∼100 eV.

Performance of Llampüidkeñ with short circuit and plasma loads

Llampüidkeñ [1] is a pulsed power generator designed to deliver a 1 MA, 250 ns risetime current pulse into a dense plasma load. The main novel feature of this generator is the two auxiliary transmission lines which transmit the energy not absorbed by the load, reflect it at the open end of the line and deliver it to the load when the energy from the main lines is decreasing. With the auxiliary lines an increase of 30% on the current as well as a decrease of the voltage at the load is obtained. To date Llampüidkeñ has been operated up to the 400 kA level, into both short circuit and plasma loads. Details of actual performance of the pulse power generator are presented and compared with simulations.