Laser-optical measurements of the velocities of the plasma jets formed from different gases in a kilojoule-range plasma focus facility

Abstract

The velocities of the plasma jets formed from Ne, N₂, Ar, and Xe gases in plasma focus facilities were determined by means of laser-optical shadowgraphy of the shock waves generated at the jet leading edge. In spite of the almost tenfold ratio between the atomic weights of these gases, the outflow velocities of the plasma jets formed in experiments with these gases differ by less than twice, in the range of (0.7–1.1) × 10⁷ cm/s under similar discharge conditions. The energies of the jet ions were found to vary from 0.7 keV for nitrogen to 4 keV for xenon.