Microstructure of dense plasma columns in Pla­sma-Fo­cus discharges

High-current discharges in pla­sma-fo­cus-type experimental setups (PF) have been investigated all over the world for many years. The discharges produce in­ten­se pul­ses of both electromagnetic and corpuscular radiation. Range of electromagnetic radiation is very broad: all the way from radio frequencies up to high-energy gamma photons. The produced corpuscular radiation includes beams of fast ions and electrons (emitted along electrode axis direction), and high-energy pro­to­ns, tritons, alpha particles and neu­tro­ns (products of the D-D and/or D-T nuclear reactions).

The fact that columns of dense plasma (the so-called "pinch columns") produced in PF discharges are not homogenous is known for years. Dependence of "pinch" emission on column microstructure was investigated in numerous studies, including recent research on PF-360U facility in Świer­k and PF-1000U facility in War­sa­w conducted by researchers from TJ5 NCBJ Division. Results of the latter research (in particular X ray emissions) was recently published in Pla­sma So­ur­ces Sci. & Tech­nol. 24 (2015) 055003.

Brief history of research on microstructure of pinch columns and the most significant recently obtained results will be presented.

All interested persons are invited.
Dr. Ja­cek Rzad­kie­wicz
Dr. Agniesz­ka Synt­feld-Ka­żuch
Associate Professor Sła­wo­mir Wron­ka