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Heterogeneous Plasma‐Producing Structures at Current Implosion of a Wire Array
Author(s) -
Grabovsky E. V.,
Mitrofanov K. N.,
Nedoseev S. L.,
Oleinik G. M.,
Porofeev I. Yu.,
Samokhin A. A.,
Frolov I. N.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
contributions to plasma physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.531
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1521-3986
pISSN - 0863-1042
DOI - 10.1002/ctpp.200510061
Subject(s) - implosion , plasma , joule heating , materials science , nanosecond , current (fluid) , atomic physics , electric heating , electric field , electric current , ionization , optics , composite material , physics , ion , thermodynamics , nuclear physics , laser , quantum mechanics
Abstract Characteristic properties of the plasma production process have been considered for the case of megampere currents flowing through hollow cylindrical wire arrays of the Angara‐5‐1 facility. In 3‐4 nanoseconds after voltage applying to the wire surfaces there appear a plasma layer. The system becomes heterogeneous, i.e. consisting of a kernel of metal wires and a plasma layer. In several nanoseconds the current flow goes from metal to plasma, which results in reducing the electric field strength along the wire. The Joule heat energy delivered to the metal before the moment of complete current trapping by plasma is insufficient for the whole mass transition to a hot plasma state. The X‐ray radiography techniques made it possible to detect and study dense clusters of substance of ∼1g/cm 3 at a developed discharge stage. The radial expansion velocity of ∼10 4 cm/s measured at the 70‐th nanosecond after the current start allows treating the dense core at a late stage in the form of a submicron heterogeneous structure from its liquid and slightly ionized gas phase. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)