Browsing by Author "Dumitrescu-Zoita, C."

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    Characteristics of a small plasma focus device
    (IET, 1996) Favre Domínguez, Mario Benjamin; Silva, P.; Chuaqui, Hernán; Wyndham Hodder, Edmund Sydenham; Choi, P.; Dumitrescu-Zoita, C.
    We report on experimental observations in PFP-I, a small 3.8 kJ plasma focus, which is operated in Hydrogen-Argon mixtures to investigate the effect of parameter modifications on the overall performance of the device. An extensive array of diagnostics is been used, which includes voltage and current probes in the external circuit, a novel small magnetic probes array located along the cathode rods, filtered PIN diodes located side and end on, and multi-pinhole X-ray camera. EX1ended operated range from below 0.2 Torr upwards has been achieved with the implementation of the auxiliary discharge circuit. Despite the low voltage and low energy operation, energetic beam formation has been observed at the time of the final compression, prior to disruption. Current sheath formation and evolution has been characterised using the magnetic probes array, in correlation with beam formation and plasma emission. Time integrated visible plasma spectroscopy is performed to investigate impurity effects on focus performance and plasma dynamics at the collapse phase.
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    Electron beam measurements in a pulsed capillary discharge
    (IEEE, 1998) Favre Domínguez, Mario; Choi, P.; Chuaqui, Hernán; Wyndham Hodder, Edmund Sydenham; Dumitrescu-Zoita, C.; Larour, J.; Rous, J.
    In this work we present experimental observations of the XUV and electron beam emission properties of an ultrafast pulsed capillary discharge, which combines the features of a transient hollow cathode discharge with the inherent characteristics of the capillary discharge.
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    Experimental investigations of hotspots in a low energy plasma focus operating in hydrogen-argon mixtures
    (IEEE, 1998) Favre Domínguez, Mario; Silva, P.; Choi, P.; Chuaqui, Hernán; Dumitrescu-Zoita, C.; Wyndham, Edmund
    We present experimental results on the investigation of hotspot formation in PFP-I, a small 3.8 kJ plasma focus device operating in hydrogen-argon mixtures, at pressures from below 0.2 torr upward. A combination of multipinhole and slit-wire X-ray photography is used to measure the characteristic size and temperature of the hotspots, over a range of pressure and gas mixing ratios. Filtered p-i-n diodes and a beam-target detector are used to investigate the time evolution of the hotspots. Typical size for the hottest emitting region, at temperatures between 200 and 400 eV, is found to be around 150 /spl mu/m, with a typical duration of the high temperature phase of the order of 10 ns. In general, the temperature in the final phase of the time evolution of the hotspots reaches values which are nearly twice those of the plasma column where they are formed. Characteristic size of the hotspots is about half of that of the initial plasma column.
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    Ion beam measurements in a small plasma focus operating in hydrogen/gas mixtures
    (IEEE, 1998) Silva, P.; Favre Domínguez, Mario; Choi, P.; Dumitrescu-Zoita, C.; Chuaqui, Hernán; Wyndham Hodder, Edmund Sydenham
    Dense transient plasmas of high energy density, can be easily produced in a plasma focus device, on a cost effective basis. High energy ion beam emission is one, among several others, of the very interesting transient plasma phenomena observed in plasma focus discharges. Although some of the properties of these ion beams have been investigated in the past, the physical mechanisms involved in their generation are still not clear, and further investigations are required on order to establish the exact correlations of the ion beam emission with other plasma focus phenomena. We present a preliminary series of measurements on ion beams in a plasma focus operating with hydrogen/gas mixtures, using an XRD probe array, which allows the characteristic ion energy to be determined from the time of flight across the probe array, and the time of the ion beam emission to be correlated with plasma emission events associated with the soft X-ray pulses detected by the probes.
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    Studies on pulsed hollow cathode capillary discharges
    (IET, 1996) Choi, P.; Dumitrescu-Zoita, C.; Larour, J.; Rous, J.; Favre Domínguez, Mario Benjamin; Zambra, M.; Moreno Martinez, José Alberto; Chuaqui, Hernán; Wyndham Hodder, Edmund Sydenham; Wong, C. S.
    We present preliminary results on radiation characteristics of pulsed hollow cathode capillary discharges. The device combines the on axis electron beam assisted ionization capabilities of the transient hollow cathode discharge with a novel high voltage low inductance geometrical design, which integrates the local energy storage into the electrode system. A nanosecond regime high temperature plasma is produced in a long, high aspect ratio capillary, with light emission in the UV to XUV region. The discharge is operated from near vacuum to pressure in the 1000 mTorr range