ZPinch of a Gas Jet

Abstract

A modified version of the vacuum spark experiment, in which a jet of argon is injected from the anode, is described. Experiments on a 1.26-kJ system have shown a strong pinching of the plasma with good reproducibility. The pinched plasma (∼ 20 ns lifetime) is submillimeter in size with estimated temperature of 6-9 keV and density ≳ ${10}^{18}$e/${\mathrm{cm}}^3$. Advantages of such a device for the study of high-density plasmas and scaling up are discussed. Results are compared to vacuum spark and exploding wire experiments performed on the same system.