Experiments with wire arrays at a submicrosecond current risetime

Experiments with wire arrays of the z-pinch geometry consisting of copper and tungsten wires of length up to 8 cm have been performed on the GIT-12 generator at a current pulse risetime of ∼300 ns and ∼1 μs. These modes were compared as to the efficiency of the wire array implosion. For the 300-ns pulse a ∼5-nH/cm change in inductance has been achieved. It has been demonstrated that the lifetime of the plasma precursor is proportional to the current risetime. Institute of High Current Electronics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 12, pp. 81–90, December, 1999.