The Challenge of Wall-Plasma Interaction with Pulsed MG Fields Parallel to the Wall

Abstract

Experiments suitable for a variety of pulsed power facilities are being developed to study plasma formation and stability on the surface of typical liner materials in the megagauss (MG) regime. Understanding the plasma properties near the surface is likely to be critical for the design of Magnetized Target Fusion experiments, where the plasma density in the region near the wall can play an important role in setting the transport from hot fuel to the cold boundary. From the perspective of diagnostic access and simplicity, the surface of a stationary conductor with large enough current to generate MG surface field offers advantages compared with studying the surface of a moving liner. This paper reports on recent experiments at UNR that have generated magnetic fields in the range of about 0.2 to 3 MG, which confirm the viability of future experiments planned at Atlas and/or Shiva Star. Diagnostics reported here involve electrical measurements, streak camera photography, and surface luminosity. Additional diagnostic measurements and numerical modeling will be reported in the future.