1981
DOI: 10.1063/1.329751
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Plasma erosion switches with imploding plasma loads on a multiterawatt pulsed power generator

Abstract: Plasma erosion switches have been fielded on the PITHON generator during imploding plasma experiments. Theta pinch plasma guns were used to inject carbon plasmas of densities in the range of 1012–1014 cm3 between the electrodes of the vacuum power feed region, upstream from an imploding plasma load. Current monitors indicated that the erosion switches carried substantial current early in time, diverting it from the load. Late in the pulse the erosion switches opened, transferring the current to an imploding pl… Show more

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Cited by 40 publications
(6 citation statements)
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“…It has long been speculated that an anomalous collision mechanism exists in the plasma and is responsible for the broad current channel observed in experiments.1 2 , ' 3 2 4 ' 25 Beside the usual instabilities, such as the Buneman, ion-acoustic, etc., which may be active in the switch, another electrostatic instability has been recently identified with many germane properties. 2 For these reasons, an ad hoc method will be used here to include the effect of the instability in the PIC simulations of the PEOS problem. The use of a particle code in the r -e plane to examine the instability in a small volume will be the subject of a future paper.…”
mentioning
confidence: 99%
“…It has long been speculated that an anomalous collision mechanism exists in the plasma and is responsible for the broad current channel observed in experiments.1 2 , ' 3 2 4 ' 25 Beside the usual instabilities, such as the Buneman, ion-acoustic, etc., which may be active in the switch, another electrostatic instability has been recently identified with many germane properties. 2 For these reasons, an ad hoc method will be used here to include the effect of the instability in the PIC simulations of the PEOS problem. The use of a particle code in the r -e plane to examine the instability in a small volume will be the subject of a future paper.…”
mentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Calorimetric measurements of beam energy were in good agreement with the electrical diode energy obtained from integration of VI(t). Agreement in shape demonstrates valid treatment of the bends, and the inductance of the vacuum feed obtained experimentally from short circuit shots (see Stringfield et al 1981). Figure 7 compares the computed and experimental corrected voltages, V alc , for R sf = 1-3 ft, R si = e K R s/ , and k = 2-5.…”
Section: Comparison Of Code and Experimental Switch Resultsmentioning
confidence: 57%
“…It may be attributed to a slightly high value of the water switch inductance: 190 nH, or crowbar failure of the current diagnostic (Stringfield et al 1981;Goldstein 1980). Slight mismatches between the experimental and computed waveforms arise after 150 ns, an effect also visible on the voltage waveforms.…”
Section: Comparison Of Code and Experimental Switch Resultsmentioning
confidence: 99%
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“…A distinguishing feature of such a diode is the existence of a phase of a low-resistance discharge with a resistance much smaller than the wave impedance of the driving generator, which precedes the high-resistance phase. The nonlinear properties of the resistance of the plasma-filled electrode gap were subsequently widely used for eliminating the high-voltage prepulse [2], for reducing the current rise time [3], and for increasing the output power in generators with intermediate inductive energy storage [4]- [7].…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%