Near-Ultraviolet and Visible Radiation from a Dynamic Pinch

Abstract

The utility of a magnetically compressed plasma as a high-intensity light source was experimentally investigated in a dynamic pinch. The motion of the confined plasma column was studied both experimentally and theoretically throughout a wide range of parameters. It was found that the peak intensity of the emitted light in the 2000–6000 Å spectral region is maximum when the plasma reaches minimum radius at times comparable to the quarter cycle period of the discharge current. When the parameters are adjusted to give this mode of operation, a single high-intensity pulse, lasting approximately 2×10−6 sec, is emitted. The peak intensity was greatest with xenon as the filling gas. The absolute intensity of the light emitted from helium, air, argon, and xenon plasmas was also measured. The results indicate that a dynamic pinch arrangement can be employed to obtain peak intensities significantly greater than those available from conventional flashlamps. The time-integrated intensity, however, is limited by the inherently unstable nature of the pinched plasma, which restricts the pulse duration to a few microseconds.