Study on the Magnetic Interruption of the Large Currents through a Linear Discharge Plasma stabilized by Altornating Magnetic Fields

Abstract

A hot plasma produced by a large capacity condenser bank, the capacity and working voltage of which are 1.1 x 104μF and 500 volts, res-oectively, has been stabilized by strong alternating magnenic fields produced by condenser discharge through the external coil. In this case, the linear discharge current is interrupted steeply at the wave tail near the transition point between the first and the second half cycle of the magnetic field. The rate of decay of the currents at the interrupted point is of the order of 107 to 108 amp/sec. This interruption is caused by the magnetic fields of cusp geometry which are composed of the external magnetic field and those produced by the induced eddy currents in the electrodes. This mechanism of interruption of large currents is considered to be of importance to a kind of the controlling switches for high temperature plasma devices, as well as to the fast recovery of insulation of vacuum switches.