A High-Temperature, Low-Magnetic-Field Theta Pinch
- 1 April 1968
- journal article
- Published by AIP Publishing in Journal of Applied Physics
- Vol. 39 (5) , 2458-2463
- https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1656575
Abstract
A theta-pinch device of low stored energy, constructed to provide a convenient spectroscopic source, has produced an interesting and useful plasma. The discharge tube has an i.d. of 15 cm and the coil is 32 cm long. The main bank energy is 9 kJ at 40 kV, and the current rings with a 7.5 μsec period. Plasma conditions have been investigated for a filling gas pressure of 12 mTorr H2 or D2 and an antiparallel bias field of 500 G using light scattering, time- and space-resolved emission spectroscopy, streak photography, and neutron emission. These reveal that following the initial compression, the plasma forms a stable cylinder about 4.5 cm in diameter which persists for about 1.5 μsec. The maximum electron temperature, determined by light scattering, is about 260 eV. Absolute continuum emission and light-scattering measurements show the average electron density to be between 3 and 4×1015 cm−3. The temperature of carbon impurity ions is determined to be 1.3 keV from Doppler broadening, and neutron emission with a deuterium filling indicates an ion temperature of about 700 eV.This publication has 2 references indexed in Scilit:
- Observation of Anomalous Electron Heating in Plasma Shock WavesPhysical Review Letters, 1967
- High-Voltage, Low-Inductance Switch for Megampere Pulse CurrentsReview of Scientific Instruments, 1959