Theoretical and Experimental Investigations of the Suitability of Low‐Current Z‐Pinch Plasma as an Absorption Medium for Laser Radiation

In this study the electron density of z‐pinch plasmas driven at relatively low currents (ca. 2‐5 kA) was determined using only emission spectroscopy. The suitability of a hollow‐cathode‐triggered z‐pinch plasma as an absorption medium for laser radiation was investigated. The temporal and spatial behaviors of electron temperature and density profiles were estimated using magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations to evaluate the experimental results. Temperature measurements were performed according to the Boltzmann plot method in the visible spectrum range, using the fact that, in low‐current z‐pinch plasma, a local thermodynamic equilibrium prevails for states at high principal quantum numbers (partial local thermodynamic equilibrium). In this case, the Saha equation can be used to determine the electron density. The results demonstrate that this method of determining the electron temperature and density of z‐pinch plasmas is only applicable during the pinching phase. However, in this case the experimentally determined values are in fairly good agreement with the values determined using the MHD model. A user‐oriented 1‐D radiation MHD code was used to simulate the dynamic evolution of the plasma. The experimentally determined maximum electron temperature of approximately 12 eV is in fairly good agreement with the simulated value. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A compact pulse generator for radiographic source supply

Radiography of short-living objects using X-pinch radiation is a new perspective direction in diagnostics developed at the P. N. Lebedev Institute of Physics. High spatial (up to a few tenth of a micrometer) and temporal resolutions (up to 0.1 ns) achieved with the use of the X pinch is extremely interesting to the researches of transient processes and substances in extreme states. The X pinch is produced by two or more crossed wires (with wire diameters up to 30 μm) exploded under the influence of current running through them. Scanning radiation is generated in a dense high-temperature plasma (up to several kiloelectron volts) arising in the region of wire crossing. Among the main requirements on the generator used to create the X pinch are current amplitudes of 150–300 kA and rates of current increase of 1–2 kA/ns. Up to now, these current pulse parameters have been provided only by bulky stationary generators weighing from 300 kg to several tons. In the present paper, a small-size (weighing 70 kg) high-current pulse generator (with current amplitude exceeding 300 kA and pulse rise time of 200 ns) of soft x-ray radiation from high-temperature X-pinch plasma is described. __________ Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 2, pp. 87–92, February, 2007.     

The use of vacuum arc discharge as a load for XPG-1 high-current generator

It was attempted to use the vacuum arc discharge as a load of a high-current generator. The idea is as follows: metal vapor is injected using the vacuum arc discharge into a microgap of a load unit of the current generator. When the generator current flows over metal vapor, such a load begins to compress as in the classical Z pinch. During compression, Rayleigh—Taylor instabilities develop, which results in the formation of waists and hot spots. The hot spot radiation power can exceed the radiation power in the case of the X pinch used as a load by a factor of 1.5–2. The signal amplitude spread is significantly smaller than that when using the X pinch. The spectrum and sizes of the hot spot can be varied by selecting the mass and type of metal injected into the discharge region.     

Radial distribution of plasma density in the positive column of thehigh-current stationary glow discharge

A model is presented which describes the radial distributions of the plasma density, electric potential, current density, and magnetic field in the positive column of a stationary glow discharge not in contact with the longitudinal walls of the discharge chamber. In this model, the compression of the positive column is provided by the azimuthal magnetic field created by the discharge current. The value of, the discharge current is obtained for the case where charged-particle diffusion is balanced by the actions of the radial electric field and the magnetic pinch effect. The radial distributions of plasma parameters are also calculated for the case of high-current glow discharges where charged-particle diffusion can be ignored     

Einstein's theory of quantum radiation

The stationary probability distribution of the one-step process corresponding to Einstein's theory of absorption and emission of radiation is derived. Gauss' principle is used to identify the entropy, and the second law gives the dynamical equilibrium condition or Planck's radiation law. This condition is in disagreement with Einstein's criterion of dynamical equilibrium. The physical consequences of the new condition are investigated.     

Ion-kinetic-energy measurements and energy balance in a Z-pinch plasma at stagnation

The ion-kinetic energy throughout K emission in a stagnating plasma was determined from the Doppler contribution to the shapes of optically thin lines. X-ray spectroscopy with a remarkably high spectral resolution, together with simultaneous imaging along the pinch, was employed. Over the emission period, a drop of the ion-kinetic energy down to the electron thermal energy was seen. Axially resolved time-dependent electron-density measurements and absolute intensities of line and continuum allowed for investigating, for the first time, each segment of the pinch, the balance between the ion-kinetic energy at the stagnating plasma, and the total radiation emitted. Within the experimental uncertainties, the ion-kinetic energy is shown to account for the total radiation.     

Fast processes on cathode surface resulting in pseudosparkdischarge

An alternative mechanism for emission during the high-current phase of a pseudospark discharge is presented. A high current density is provided by multiple arc cathode spots which appear due to cathode-plasma breakdown. The model of plasma formation in the main gap of the pseudospark switch is discussed, together with conditions required for the initiation of spot during some tens of nanoseconds, the appearance of a moving double plasma layer, and high-current transport through the plasma-filled diode     

Influence of radiation resorption on criteria of the existence of local thermodynamic equilibrium

The emission of radiation from a plasma volume upsets the Boltzmann equilibrium. A number of authors have proposed criteria for approximate testing of the existence of local thermodynamic equilibrium on the basis of collision and radiation processes. However, those criteria give excessive values, because they do not take into account radiation resorption, which can moderate the test conditions. The present article is concerned with the influence of radiation resorption on the criterion of the existence of local thermodynamic equilibrium in a low-temperature plasma. The domain of existence of local thermodynamic equilibrium (in the sense of Saha-Boltzmann equilibrium) is calculated for electric arcs.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 6, pp. 20–24, June 1986.     

Hard X-ray source based on low-impedance rod pinch diode

The results of experiments on the formation of a low-impedance diode in a rod pinch diode configuration preliminarily short-circuited by a radial foil have been described. The low-impedance diode is formed as a result of detachment of the foil (accelerated by the current of a high-current generator) from the anode rod. It has been shown that, by changing the shape of the anode tip, the thickness of the aluminum foil, and its position relative to the anode tip as by reconnecting the current via the foil and rod plasma, it is possible to obtain from one to several sequential hard X-ray pulses.     

Shortening of the radiation pulse from a plasma relativistic microwave generator in numerical calculations with plasma simulation by the particle-in-cell method

Spontaneous shortening of radiation pulses of Cherenkov microwave generators based on the interaction of a high-current relativistic electron beam with preliminarily generated plasma was studied in a numerical model. Microwave pulse shortening is caused by the appearance of a gradually expanding region near the collector, from which plasma is expelled by an electrostatic field of relativistic electrons. The absence of plasma results in a severalfold decrease in the plasma wave reflectance from the collector and violation of generator self-excitation conditions. The microwave emission duration increases with the plasma ion mass.     

Generation of high-current relativistic electron beams with stable (for a microsecond) parameters using explosive emission cathodes

Cold explosive emission cathodes, in which a plasma serves as an emitting surface, are used to generate relativistic electron beams with a high current density in a magnetic field. The plasma parameters change within a microsecond, thereby significantly changing the geometry of the electron beam. This paper is a review of techniques for stabilizing the geometry of microsecond high-current relativistic electron beams. It is shown that only a transverse-blade explosive emission cathode in a magnetically insulated diode can generate such beams (500 keV, 3 kA) the current density profile and electron trajectory pitch factor of which remain constant for a microsecond.     

Eddy current effects on plasma equilibrium in a single-turn tokamak

In a fusion experiment based on the single-turn tokamak concept, the plasma is surrounded by a massive conducting structure composed of several layers of material with different resistivities. This conducting shell is located near the plasma edge and is magnetically coupled to the plasma column. The plasma magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equilibrium is studied by neglecting the effect of structural induced currents. Eddy current effects are then analyzed. Poloidal uniformization of the poloidal field magnet current distribution required for plasma equilibrium is demonstrated. The possibility of continuous-limiter discharges in a single-turn tokamak configuration is pointed out. The significance of these results for the operation of a high-current tokamak experiment is discussed     

A new approach for evaluating the current and charge density distributions in electron guns and beams

Current and space-charge density distribution calculation is of great significance for numerical analysis and design of high-current electron guns and beams. When the electrons’ thermal initial velocities are taken into account, though there have been some numerical methods published, the calculation is very complicated. By introducing equivalent meridional potential and projection trajectory theory, the curvilinear axis trajectory equation for electrons neighboring to a central curved trajectory in rotationally symmetric electro-magnetic fields is derived in first- and second-order approximations. The evolution equation of the current density distribution of toroidal electron sub-beams is derived and it can be used to calculate the current and charge density distribution in electron beams and guns in iteration calculation. A compact numerical algorithm for calculating round high-current electron guns and beams was developed and related program was written as well. As examples, the evolution of the current density distribution of a Pierce gun and a periodic magnetic focusing high-current electron beam is simulated. This proves that this method is effective and practical.     

Interpretation and resolution of pinch singularities in non-equilibrium quantum field theory

Ill-defined pinch singularities arising in a perturbative expansion in out of equilibrium quantum field theory have a natural analogue to standard scattering theory. We explicitly demonstrate that the occurrence of such terms is directly related to Fermi's golden rule known from elementary scattering theory and is thus of no mystery. We further argue that within the process of thermalization of a plasma one has to resum such contributions to all orders as the process itself is of non-perturbative nature. In this way the resummed propagators obtain a finite width. Within the Markov approximation of kinetic theory the actual phase space distribution at a given time of the evolution enters explicitly. Received: 28 September 1998 / Published online: 11 March 1999     

Z箍缩内爆产生的电磁脉冲辐射

讨论了Z箍缩内爆产生的低频电磁脉冲的辐射特性. Z箍缩驱动金属丝阵或固体套筒高速内爆,部分磁能通过与负载的运动耦合而向外辐射. 理论结果表明,电磁脉冲辐射功率由电流和内爆轨迹共同决定. 在中国工程物理研究院流体物理研究所的初级实验平台上开展了负载电流为7 MA,10%–90%上升时间65 ns的丝阵Z箍缩实验,根据实验测得的电流和内爆轨迹得到了电磁脉冲的辐射功率和频谱. 电磁脉冲峰值功率约为1 GW,能量约为0.5 J,能量转换效率约为10^-7;峰值频率位于20–70 MHz,具有较宽的辐射频谱. 电磁脉冲辐射参数远小于软X射线辐射参数（峰值功率为50 TW,能量为0.5 MJ）. 在弱相对论条件下,电磁脉冲辐射功率近似地正比于电流的6次方,随电流急剧增大. 软X射线辐射是丝阵Z箍缩过程中的主要能量转换形式,本文的研究结论表明,在更高的驱动电流下,电磁脉冲辐射将提供另一种重要的能量转换途径,势必会对诊断设备造成严重影响;此外,这类强电磁脉冲在其他领域也具有潜在的应用价值. 关键词： Z箍缩 内爆 电磁脉冲     

A new approach to the theory of Cherenkov radiation based on relativistic generalization of the Landau criterion

Relativistic generalization of the Landau criterion is obtained which, in contrast to the classical Tamm-Frank and Ginzburg theories, determines the primary energy mechanism of emission of nonbremsstrahlung Cherenkov radiation. It is shown that Cherenkov radiation may correspond to a threshold energetically favorable conversion of the condensate (ultimately long-wavelength) elementary Bose perturbations of a medium into transverse Cherenkov photons emitted by the medium proper during its interaction with a sufficiently fast charged particle. The threshold conditions of emission are determined for a medium with an arbitrary refractive index n, including the case of isotropic plasma with n<1 for which the classical theory of Cherenkov radiation prohibits such direct and effective nonbremsstrahlung emission of these particular transverse high-frequency electromagnetic waves. It is established that these conditions of emission agree with the data of well-known experiments on the threshold for observation of Cherenkov radiation, whereas the classical theory only corresponds to the conditions of observation of the interference maximum of this radiation. The possibility of direct effective emission of nonbremsstrahlung Cherenkov radiation, not taken into account in the classical theory, is considered for many observed astrophysical phenomena (type III solar radio bursts, particle acceleration by radiation, etc.).     

Emission characteristics of plasma of a transverse volume discharge in mixtures of helium, argon, and krypton with sulfur hexafluoride

The emission characteristics of the plasma of repetitively pulsed spontaneous UV-VUV radiation sources on the basis of ArF* (193 nm) and KrF* (249 nm) molecules, and the products of decomposition of sulfur hexafluoride molecules pumped by a transverse volume discharge in a mixture of inert gases with sulfur hexafluoride molecules have been investigated. The discharge emission spectra in the range of 190–780 nm at the low-current and high-current stages of the transverse discharge, the time characteristics of the voltage across the electrodes, the pump current, and the emission of excimer molecules and the products of decomposition of sulfur hexafluoride have been studied. It is shown that, in the gas-static operation mode of the radiator at the number of discharge pulses smaller than 10³, the 193-nm ArF* and 249-nm KrF* bands are main in the emission spectrum. Upon further operation of the radiator, a spectral continuum is formed on the basis of sulfur molecular bands in the range 260–550 nm.     

Low-impedance plasma systems for generation of high-current low-energy electron beams

The results of experimental investigation and numerical modeling of the generation of low-energy (tens of keV) high-current (up to tens of kA) electron beams in a low-impedance system consisting of a plasma-filled diode with a long plasma anode, an auxiliary hot cathode, and an explosive emission cathode. The low-current low-voltage beam from the auxiliary cathode in an external longitudinal magnetic field is used to produce a long plasma anode, which is simultaneously the channel of beam transportation by residual gas ionization. The high-current electron beam is formed from the explosive emission cathode placed in the preliminarily formed plasma. Numerical modeling is performed using the KARAT PIC code.     

Production of powerful electron beams in dense gases

Subnanosecond electron beams with the record current amplitude (～70 A in air and ～200 A in helium) were produced at atmospheric pressure. The optimal generator open-circuit voltage was found for which the electron-beam current amplitude produced in a gas diode was maximal behind a foil. It was established that the electron beam was produced at the stage when the cathode plasma closely approaches the anode. It was shown that a high-current beam can be produced at high pressures because of the presence of the upper branches in the curves characterizing the electron-escape (runaway) criterion and the discharge-ignition criterion (Paschen curve).