Exploding Aluminum Wire as a Strongly-Coupled Plasma Source
Abstract
Low temperature ( ~ 1 eV), high density ( ne ~ 10^21 cm-3) plasmas are called Strongly-Coupled Plasmas (SCP) when the coulombic interaction energy exceeds the thermal energy. Conventional diagnostic techniques are inadequate for high-precision measurements in SCPs; however, our novel diagnostic design provides high-resolution measurements. A 3.5kJ Marx Bank electrically explodes radially tamped 160-micron aluminum wires. A 100-micron square slit assembly collimates the thermally expanding plasma to create a shaped plume of 1/10th solid density near one eV, satisfying SCP conditions. Two-color self-emission recorded by a framing camera gives the spatial and temporal profiles as well as the blackbody temperature. The absorption of a laser-produced x-ray backlighter (Ti Kα, 4.75 keV) with a high-spatial resolution x-ray microscope provides density measurements. These diagnostic techniques characterize the initial conditions of the thermally expanding plasma plume, which will be used to measure the equation of state (EOS) of a SCP. Preliminary EOS measurements will be provided, if available.
- Publication:
-
APS Division of Plasma Physics Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- November 1999
- Bibcode:
- 1999APS..DPP.BP122T