Experimental research of neutron yield and spectrum from deuterium gas-puff z-pinch on the GIT-12 generator at current above 2 MA

The Z-pinch experiments with deuterium gas-puff surrounded by an outer plasma shell were carried out on the GIT-12 generator (Tomsk, Russia) at currents of 2 MA. The plasma shell consisting of hydrogen and carbon ions was formed by 48 plasma guns. The deuterium gas-puff was created by a fast electromagnetic valve. This configuration provides an efficient mode of the neutron production in DD reaction, and the neutron yield reaches a value above 1012 neutrons per shot. Neutron diagnostics included scintillation TOF detectors for determination of the neutron energy spectrum, bubble detectors BD-PND, a silver activation detector, and several activation samples for determination of the neutron yield analysed by a Sodium Iodide (NaI) and a high-purity Germanium (HPGe) detectors. Using this neutron diagnostic complex, we measured the total neutron yield and amount of high-energy neutrons

Parameters of the THL-100 hybrid femtosecond laser system after modernization

The first experimental results obtained in visible range using the THL-100 multi-terawatt hybrid laser system after modernization of the starting femtosecond complex and the gas amplifier are reported. The modernization was performed to increase the output beam power at the expense of changing the configuration of the vacuum diode of the electron accelerator used for pumping of the XeF(C-A) amplifier. As a result, the increase of the VUV radiation pumping energy of the active medium of the XeF(C-A) amplifier by 30% is attained. This leads to doubling of the output laser beam energy of the XeF(C-A) amplifier

Parameters of the THL-100 hybrid femtosecond laser system after modernization

The first experimental results obtained in visible range using the THL-100 multi-terawatt hybrid laser system after modernization of the starting femtosecond complex and the gas amplifier are reported. The modernization was performed to increase the output beam power at the expense of changing the configuration of the vacuum diode of the electron accelerator used for pumping of the XeF(C-A) amplifier. As a result, the increase of the VUV radiation pumping energy of the active medium of the XeF(C-A) amplifier by 30% is attained. This leads to doubling of the output laser beam energy of the XeF(C-A) amplifier

Filamentation of the surface plasma layer during the electrical explosion of conductors in strong magnetic fields

International audienceA model has been considered to describe the development of a surface discharge over a conductor electrically exploding in a strong magnetic field. A simulation performed using this model has shown that in the initial stage of the conductor explosion, a plasma layer of several tens of micrometers thick with an electron temperature of several electronvolts is formed on the metal surface. Based on the theory of small perturbations, the development of thermal filamentation instabilities that form in the surface plasma layer has been analyzed. The characteristic growth rates and wavelengths of these instabilities have been determined. The theoretical results were compared with the results of experiments performed on the ZEBRA generator (providing load currents of amplitude about 1 MA and rise time about 100 ns) and on the MIG generator (providing load currents of amplitude about 2 MA and rise time about 100 ns). For the conditions implemented with these generators, the filamentation model gives rise times of thermal filamentation instabilities of tens of nanoseconds at characteristic wavelengths of the order of 100 μm. These values are in good agreement with experimental data, which indicates the adequacy of both the surface discharge development model and the filamentation model