X-ray and Plasma Dynamics of an Intermediate Size Capillary Discharge
Abstract
A small pulsed power generator, 150 kA and 120 ns, is used to form a plasma in a 5 mm diameter alumina tube. A hollow cathode geometry is used with an initial metallic vapour formed by a pulsed Nd:YAG laser focussed onto a target at the entrance of the tube. The initial discharge conditions may be altered by an initial bias voltage, as well as by varying the time between the formation of the preionizing voltage and the main discharge. The soft X-ray emission is used to resolve spectrally and temporally the plasma species for different initial conditions, as well as the spatial evolution of the plasma using time and energy band resolved pinhole photography. The injection of plasma was found to be important in generating initial conditions, however the dominant species are found to come from the wall material. The implications of plasma injection for metal vapour capillary discharges are discussed.
- Publication:
-
APS Division of Plasma Physics Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- October 2000
- Bibcode:
- 2000APS..DPPMP1087W