Dynamics of the Current Sheath in a Self-Compressible Plasma Discharge with an Additional Gas Injection

• Published in: Physics of atomic nuclei Vol. 86; no. 7; pp. 1688 - 1701
• Main Authors: Grabovskij, E. V., Gribov, A. N., Krylov, M. K., Efremov, N. M., Ilyicheva, M. V., Lototsky, A. P., Laukhin, Ya. N., Sulimin, Yu. N., Panfilov, D. G., Predkova, E. I., Shishlov, A. O., Khomutinnikov, G. N., Frolov, A. Yu, Dodulad, E. I., Shkolnikov, E. Ya, Vikhrev, V. V., Lukin, V. V.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Moscow Pleiades Publishing 01-12-2023; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Chambers; Compressibility; Deuterium; Gas injection; Helium; Magnetic probes; Particle and Nuclear Physics; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Plasma focus; Plasma jets; Sheaths; pinching; plasma; current sheath; gas puffing
• ISSN: 1063-7788; 1562-692X
• DOI: 10.1134/S1063778823070062

In the plasma focus chamber of the PF-MOL facility, a pulse valve allows an inhomogeneous density of the working gas to be obtained. In the combined mode of operation (stationary filling and additional injection), it is possible to use different gases together in one run. The facility has a capacitive source with a maximum current of 750 kA. The chamber houses a system of magnetic probes. At currents of 700 kA in the normal mode of stationary filling with deuterium, the neutron yield
Y
n
is (4–5) × 10
9
per pulse. The maximum yield
Y
n
= 1.2 × 10
10
was obtained with the additional pulsed deuterium resupply of the area of current sheath focusing. Experiments have been carried out with a helium current sheath that compresses the injected deuterium. At a current of 530 kA, the yield
Y
n
~ 2 × 10
9
was reproducibly recorded. Tests have been carried out that indicate the absence of a helium impurity in the deuterium pinch plasma.