Long condition time POS experiments on MITE

Abstract

Summary form only given. MITE is a power flow testbed that has been modified to conduct experiments in high-power plasma opening switch (POS) technology and apply this technology to inertial confinement fusion. The goal of the experiment is to develop a POS that conducts megampere currents for 300 ns, then opens in 5-10 ns. MITE/POS is an advanced power flow experiment that uses a magnetically insulated transmission line (MITL) as the inductive energy store and as a means to shape the output pulse. This experiment demonstrates that a simplified, lower-cost facility can be built by eliminating water pulse-forming lines and water switching. The disadvantage is that a new technology, the triggered POS, must be implemented. The triggered POS is necessary for synchronization of multiple modules with a long-conduction-time POS. The MITE facility has been modified to drive a 250-nH. 16.6-O MITL at 0.9 MA to accommodate this power flow experiment. A MITL inductive energy storage of 101 kJ is available for POS switching to a matched load. Experiments leading to the development of the triggered POS have been conducted using segmented flashboards and magnetic-field controlled plasma sources