Methods of controlled formation of instabilities during the electrical explosion of thin foils

The results of a study of the electrical explosion of aluminum foils with an artificial periodic surface structure created by laser engraving are presented. Experiments were carried out on pulsed high-current generators BIN (270 kA, 300 kV, 100 ns) and KING (200 kA, 40 kV, 200 ns) with Al foil of thicknesses 16 and 4 μm, respectively. Images of the exploded foils were recorded by point projection radiography in the radiation from hybrid X-pinches. It is found that the application of an artificial periodic structure to the foil leads to a much more uniform and well-defined periodic structure of the exploded foil. Images recorded in the UV range using a microchannel-plate-intensified detector show that the radiation from a surface-modified foil is more uniform along the entire length and width of the foil than that from a foil without modification.