Effect of length of outer electrode on plasma characteristics in coaxial gun

Abstract

The dense plasma produced by a coaxial gun possesses an extremely high velocity (~100 km/s), electron density (~10<sup>16</sup> cm<sup>–3</sup>) and energy density (~1 MJ/m<sup>2</sup>), which has great potential applications in fusion energy, astrophysics and aerospace physics. Through the measurements of electrical and optical signals, as well as the temporal and spatial evolution of the ejected plasma, the plasma characteristics of two different outer electrodes in length are investigated. As the outer electrode is lengthened, the axial velocity, the collimation and the propagation distance of plasma are all enhanced while the electron density and the optical intensity decrease, this can be ascribed to the extension of plasma column formed by <i>Z</i>-pinch on the central electrode during the discharge. When moving across the end of the inner electrode, the plasma sheet can be stretched into a bow shape due to the Coulomb and Lorentz force. With the appearance of axial current, part of the plasma sheet near the head of the inner electrode converges toward the center, and then generates a plasma column with much higher electron density and temperature. On the one hand, the extending of the plasma column can match the outer electrode in length and therefore the plasma column gains longer accelerating time in the coaxial gun resulting in the growing of ejected velocity. On the other hand, it also brings higher losses of the charged particles and recombination rates between the plasma and the wall of electrodes, resulting in the decrease of electron density and optical intensity. Moreover, the axial kinetic energy, the electron density and the radial Lorentz force of ejected plasma are jointly responsible for the collimation and the attenuation characteristics in its propagation. As the axial velocity and electron density increase, the axial kinetic energy of ejected plasma increases, which induces a longer propagating distance. In contrast, with the electron density and radial Lorentz force growing, the density gradient and thermal expansion of ejected plasma are enhanced correspondingly, leading the energy density to decrease and finally the propagating distance to shorten. In conclusion, a high collimation plasma jet trends to generate in a high axial velocity, electron density and with a relatively long outer electrode.