Investigation of interactions of intense plasma streams with tungsten and carbon fibre composite targets in the PF-1000 facility

• Published in: Physica scripta Vol. T161; no. 1; pp. 14038 - 14042
• Main Authors: Kubkowska, Monika, Skladnik-Sadowska, Elzbieta, Kwiatkowski, Roch, Malinowski, Karol, Kowalska-Strz ciwilk, Ewa, Paduch, Marian, Sadowski, Marek J, Pisarczyk, Tadeusz, Chodukowski, Tomasz, Kalinowska, Zofia, Zielinska, Ewa, Scholz, Marek
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: IOP Publishing 01.05.2014
• Subjects: electron density distribution; interferometry; plasma focus
• ISSN: 0031-8949; 1402-4896
• DOI: 10.1088/0031-8949/2014/T161/014038

This paper presents the results of research on interactions of pulsed plasma streams, as generated by the PF-1000 facility, with solid targets made of tungsten or carbon fibre composite. The device was equipped with a modified inner electrode with a central tungsten insert of 50 mm in diameter. The PF-1000 experimental chamber was filled with pure deuterium at p0 = 1.47 hPa. At the charging voltage U0 = 24 kV, the maximum current amounted to 1.8 MA in about 5.5 μs after the discharge initiation. The investigated targets were located on the z-axis, at a distance of 9 cm from the inner electrode end. For plasma diagnostics, optical emission spectroscopy, 16-frame laser interferometry and a soft x-ray measuring system of four silicon pin diodes were used. It was observed that plasma streams reached the target about 100 ns after the maximum compression and generated a plasma pillow at the sample surface, as proved from time-resolved optical spectra.