Combined flux compression and plasma opening switch on the Saturn pulsed power generator.
A wire-array flux-compression cartridge installed on Sandia's Saturn pulsed power generator doubled the current into a 3-nH load to 6 MA and halved its rise time to 100 ns. The current into the load, however, was unexpectedly delayed by almost 1 micros. Estimates of a plasma flow switch acting as a long-conduction-time opening switch are consistent with key features of the power compression. The results suggest that microsecond-conduction-time plasma flow switches can be combined with flux compression both to amplify currents and to sharpen pulse rise times in pulsed power drivers.
Felber
Franklin S
FS
Starmark, Inc., P.O. Box 270710, San Diego, California 92198, USA.
Waisman
Eduardo M
EM
Mazarakis
Michael G
MG