Axisymmetric pulsed ejection of a dense plasma into a gas: I. similarity criteria for ejection

Axisymmetric pulsed ejection of a dense plasma into a gas is studied within a wide range of the parameters of the gas and the plasma jet generator. Using experimental data and the equation describing the momentum variation of the plasma jet, similarity criteria are obtained for axisymmetric pulsed ejection of a dense plasma.     

Localized density clumps generated in a magnetized nonneutral plasma

The final, nonlinear, saturated state of the diocotron instability is investigated experimentally in a magnetized, annular, nonneutral plasma. As the wave grows to large amplitude, the plasma is organized into vortices. In the limit of high magnetic fields, and moderate central conductor biases, the diocotron modes compress the plasma into dense (n 3.5n₀) localized clumps. Two-dimensional particle-in-cell computer simulations confirm the physical picture of vortex formation by resonant particle trapping.     

强流脉冲离子束烧蚀等离子体向背景气体中喷发的数值研究

强流脉冲离子束辐照靶材产生烧蚀等离子体向背景气体中传播与向真空中传播不同，包括喷发等离子体与背景气体的相互作用.本文建立了该过程的二维气体动力学模型，计算了等离子体向压强范围从10^-6大气压到大气压背景气体中传播时的情况.结果表明，背景气体压强不同时，等离子体传播的现象也不相同.向真空中可以自由膨胀，向大气压中膨胀受限；当背景气压在千分之一大气压左右时，等离子体在背景气体中形成“雪犁”状，羽状等离子体出现快速和慢速传播分离现象.     

Vortex rings and plasma toroidal vortices in homogeneous unbounded media. II. The study of vortex formation process

The conditions of the formation of toroidal vortices (TVs), i.e., the plasma TV and air vortex ring at atmospheric pressure, are experimentally determined. The TV formation process is numerically simulated. Local characteristics of the pulsed jet, induced flow of ambient medium (air), and forming TV at various time points are obtained. It is shown that the results of the preliminary numerical calculation are in agreement with experimental data.     

Coaxial injector of a plasma opening switch operating in the nonsteady arc-discharge mode

Results are presented from interferometric studies of a coaxial injector operating in the nonsteady arc-discharge mode. The discharge was initiated and stabilized by pulsed gas puffing into the interelectrode gap of the injector. The dynamics of the plasma bunch formation and the spatial characteristics of the bunch are investigated, and the density of the generated plasma is determined.     

Decay of inert-gas-discharge plasma in the expansion mode. Part 1: Dynamics of the plasma ionization state,criterion of recombination nonequilibrium,and experimental study of argon plasma decay

The influence of expansion of a pulsed arc plasma on its decay is studied theoretically and experimentally with allowance for deviation from the equilibrium state. The dynamics of the ionization state during the decay of a dense expanding plasma is traced, and a criterion of its recombination nonequilibrium is determined. The results of calculation are compared with experimental data by the example of a pulsed arc in argon.     

Pulsed volume discharge with preionization in two-dimensional gasdynamic flow

The interaction between a pulsed volume discharge with preionization by ultraviolet radiation from plasma sheets and a gasdynamic flow with a known density distribution is studied experimentally. The complex quasi-two-dimensional flow that emerges after the diffraction of a plane shock wave by rectangular obstacles in the channel is experimentally studied and numerically simulated. The glow intensity fields for an unsteady gasdynamic flow are imaged for the first time when recording the plasma radiation from a pulsed discharge in the flow. Since the ionization duration is short (150–200 ns), the gas-flow structure does not change and the flow does not heat up in the glow time of the discharge plasma in the flow. Our images are compared with the reciprocal-density fields of the corresponding two-dimensional gas flow. The effects of gasdynamic structures on the discharge plasma redistribution in the flow are analyzed. The energy contribution is localized into low-density zones (vortices, rarefaction waves) and into regions of density jumps and significant density gradients. The discharge current from adjacent regions with low E/N is redistributed into these zones. Breakdown channels are formed along rarefaction waves, vortices, and discontinuity surfaces between high-electron-density regions.     

Study of the gas-filled injector of a plasma opening switch

A plasma injector with pulsed gas filling is investigated experimentally. Interferometric measurements of the formation dynamics of the plasma channel are carried out. Under optimal operating conditions, the injector is capable of producing a plasma channel 4 cm in diameter with an electron density of ∼10¹⁷ cm⁻³. The effect of the cathode diameter of the plasma opening switch on the conductivity of the plasma channel is studied. It is shown that the current flowing through the plasma channel of a single injector attains 400 kA.     

Relative limiting density of plasma in the discharge channel of freely expanding pulsed high-current discharges in an unbounded dense gas

Based on experimental data on freely expanding pulsed high-current discharges in a dense gas and dimensional theory methods, it was shown that a relative limiting density (minimum) of plasma in the discharge channel is achieved in a sufficiently intense discharge.     

Flow visualization in a low-density plasma channel

A schlieren system and surface-stress-sensitive film system were developed for a plasma channel which posed unique challenges for flow visualization because of the combination of low air density and the presence of plasma discharges. Temperature-sensitive paint and direct-current discharge were also applied to flow visualization. Three pulsed schlieren light sources were evaluated. A light-emitting diode (LED), a xenon Nanopulser^TM and laser breakdown, were tested on identical flowfields. The LED provided excellent illumination, with pulses ranging from μs to continuous. The Nanopulser^TM provided excellent, short-duration images, although illumination varied from shot-to-shot. Laser-breakdown provided short-duration, incoherent illumination that was constant from pulse-to-pulse. The surface-stress-sensitive film was applied to surface flow visualization. A low-modulus elastomer doped with a luminescent dye was used to visualize the surface shear stress and pressure field in laminar shock boundary layer interactions. Intensity distributions from the dye were imaged to interrogate the surface pressure gradients. Displacement of surface markers provided shear information. Results showed the presence of Görtler vortices in the reattaching shear flow. Görtler vortices were also evident in temperature-sensitive paint images and in the plasma discharge glow. These vortices were evident in the intensity images from the elastomer, which could be related to the surface pressure gradient, but were not readily evident in surface shear measurements.     

Electrothermal-chemical synthesis of nanocrystalline aluminumnitride using a metal vapor pulsed plasma jet

A relatively new process, electrothermal-chemical (ETC) synthesis, is proposed and tested for synthesizing nanocrystalline aluminum nitride (AlN) and aluminum powders. The ETC synthesis employed a plasma gun especially adapted for material synthesis. The plasma gun is powered by high magnitude current pulse (100 kA flowing for 1.2 ms) and produces pulsed, high-velocity metal vapor plasma jets. The pulsed plasma jet is directed into a reaction chamber which is filled with room temperature atmospheric pressure nitrogen (N₂) or helium (He) gas reacting with the metal vapor plasma jet. Transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction have been applied to characterize the synthesized materials and confirmed that the material contained nanocrystalline aluminum (Al) and AlN whose particle size ranging 30-120 nm     

Formation of cavities in a Z pinch plasma

Technical Physics - The spatial structure and dynamics of the plasma in a high current vacuum spark discharge are studied via pulsed shadowgraphy. The formation of cavities in the neck plasma at...     

感应式脉冲推力器中等离子体加速数值研究

为了分析感应式脉冲放电等离子体推力器中时变电磁场作用下等离子体的放电参数分布及其随着磁场强度变化的影响,引入了利用双曲型散度清除方法的二维轴对称瞬态等离子体流动的磁流体力学数值模型.计算结果表明,随着输入能量的增加,等离子体团出现速度峰值的时刻提前,等离子体中同时存在的异号电流环对其加速具有阻滞作用.等离子体的加速效率随着磁场强度非线性增大,磁场大于某一临界值时(几何构型下峰值磁场强度大于0.45 T),有限空间情况下等离子体的加速效率获得显著提高.     

Convective model of a microwave discharge in a gas at atmospheric pressure in the form of a spatially localized plasma

Experiments and a theoretical model consistent with them are presented which show that a stationary microwave discharge in a gas at atmospheric pressure under the action of free convection due to the action of the buoyant force on the heated air can be spatially localized, taking a spheroidal shape. Vortex motion inside the spheroid gives this localized plasma formation some of the properties of a material body which are manifested in a distinct material isolation from the surrounding space, in the formation of a narrow thermal boundary layer and flow separation, and in the formation of secondary vortices in the wake region. The characteristic radius of the stationary localized plasma is governed mainly by the wavelength of the microwave radiation a∼0.137λ. Energy balance is established to a significant degree by convective cooling of the microwave-heated structure. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 112, 877–893 (September 1997)     

X-ray backlighting of two-wire Z-pinch plasma using X-pinch

Two 50-μm Mo wires in parallel used as a Z-pinch load are electrically exploded with a pulsed current rising to 275 kA in 125 ns and their explosion processes are backlighted using an X-pinch as an x-ray source.The backlighting images show clearly the processes similar to those occurring in the initial stages of a cylindrical wire-array Z-pinch,including the electric explosion of single wires characterised by the dense wire cores surrounded by a low-density coronal plasma,the expansion of the exploding wire,the sausage instability (m=0) in the coronal plasma around each wire,the motion of the coronal plasma as well as the wire core toward the current centroid,the formation of the precursor plasma column with a twist structure something like that of higher mode instability,especially the kink instability (m=1).     

Generation and expansion of laser-induced plasma as a spectroscopic emission source

Laser-induced plasma represents today a widespread spectroscopic emission source. It can be easily generated using compact and reliable nanosecond pulsed laser on a large variety of materials. Its application for spectrochemical analysis for example with laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has become so popular that one tends to forget the complex physical and chemical processes leading to its generation and governing its evolution. The purpose of this review article is to summarize the backgrounds necessary to understand and describe the laser-induced plasma from its generation to its expansion into the ambient gas. The objective is not to go into the details of each process; there are numerous specialized papers and books for that in the literature. The goal here is to gather in a same paper the essential understanding elements needed to describe laser-induced plasma as results from a complex process. These elements can be dispersed in several related but independent fields such as laser-matter interaction, laser ablation of material, optical and thermodynamic properties of hot and ionized gas, or plasma propagation in a background gas. We believe that presenting the ensemble of understanding elements of laser-induced plasma in a comprehensive way and in limited pages of this paper will be helpful for further development and optimized use of the LIBS technique. Experimental results obtained in our laboratory are used to illustrate the studied physical processes each time such illustration becomes possible and helpful.     

Generation of a pulsed high-current low-energy beam in a plasma electron source with a self-heated cathode

The transition of a low-current discharge with a self-heated hollow cathode to a high-current discharge is studied, and stability conditions for the latter in the pulsed–periodic mode with a current of 0.1–1.0 kA, pulse width of 0.1–1.0 ms, and a pulse repetition rate of 0.1–1.0 kHz are determined. The thermal conditions of the hollow cathode are analyzed, and the conclusion is drawn that the emission current high density is due to pulsed self-heating of the cathode’s surface layer. Conditions for stable emission from a plasma cathode with a grid acting as a plasma boundary using such a discharge are found at low accelerating voltage (100–200 eV) and a gas pressure of 0.1–0.4 Pa. The density of the ion current from a plasma generated by a pulsed beam with a current of 100 A is found to reach 0.1 A/cm². Probe diagnostics data for the emitting and beam plasmas in the electron source are presented, and a mechanism behind the instability of electron emission from the plasma is suggested on their basis.     

脉冲金属离子等离子体推进器的等离子体生成和传播特性

综述了不同阳极结构脉冲金属离子等离子体推进器的放电特性、等离子体生成及传播特性。首先,讨论了一种带有绝缘套筒的裸阳极推进器结构。对比分析了无、有绝缘套筒的裸阳极推进器的等离子体生成及传播特性的区别。结果表明,绝缘套筒阻碍了阴极近旁带电粒子的径向运动,提高了沿绝缘套筒轴向喷射出去的等离子体的喷射性能。此外,发现采用裸阳极推进器结构放电过程中会有大量带电粒子进入阳极。其次,讨论了一种绝缘阳极推进器结构。结果表明,采用绝缘阳极结构进一步提高了沿绝缘套筒轴向喷射出去的等离子体密度。但是,与裸阳极推进器结构相比,等离子体的生成量减少。再次,讨论了一种微孔绝缘阳极推进器结构。结果表明,与裸阳极推进器结构相比,采用微孔绝缘阳极推进器结构生成的等离子体的密度峰值和传播速度峰值分别提高了12.6倍、3.9倍。最后,分别讨论了一种螺旋阳极推进器结构和一种多阳极推进器结构。结果表明,这两种推进器结构分别利用放电过程中形成的自磁场及电场有效提高了等离子体羽流的定向喷射性能。本研究可以为金属等离子体喷射性能的提高以及脉冲金属离子等离子体推进器的设计提供支持。     

Some properties of ion and cluster plasma

The aggregate of problems connected with the physics of ion and cluster plasma is qualitatively considered. Such a plasma can exist when a dense gas is ionized by a hard ionizer. The conditions for the formation of an ion plasma and the difference between its characteristics and those of an ordinary electron plasma are discussed; a solvated-ion model and the distribution of the clusters with respect to the number of solvated molecules are considered. The recombination rate of the positively and negatively charged clusters is roughly estimated. The parameters of a ball-lightning plasma are estimated on the basis of the cluster model.Translated from Trudy Fizicheskogo Instituta im. P. M. Lebedeva, Vol. 120, pp. 50–64, 1980.     

同轴枪正、负脉冲放电等离子体特性的对比

同轴枪脉冲放电产生的等离子体具有高速度、高密度的特点,在核聚变、空间推进、天体物理领域具有很高的应用价值.本文针对不同放电方式对等离子体特性的影响进行了理论实验研究,通过调换脉冲电源整流二极管的方向改变充电电流方向实现正、负脉冲放电,采用光学、电学、磁探针等诊断手段,研究了正、负脉冲放电产生的等离子体性能;通过高速相机观察到正脉冲等离子体的分团现象,使用了图像处理技术,量化对比了等离子体发光强度.结果表明在相同工作气压和放电电压下,负脉冲等离子体拥有更高的密度,流速稍小但性能趋稳;而正脉冲等离子体具有更高的射流速度,也易产生明显的分团现象,所得实验结果与理论分析相一致.