Spectroscopic studies of pulsed-power plasmas

Recently developed spectroscopic diagnostic techniques are used to investigate the plasma behavior in a Magnetically Insulated Ion Diode, a Plasma Opening Switch, and a gas-puffed Z-pinch. Measurements with relatively high spectral, temporal, and spatial resolutions are performed. The particle velocity and density distributions within a few tens of microns from the dielectric-anode surface are observed using laser spectroscopy. Collective fluctuating electric fields in the plasma are inferred from anisotropic Stark broadening. For the Plasma Opening Switch experiment, a novel gaseous plasma source was developed which is mounted inside the high-voltage inner conductor. The properties of this source, together with spectroscopic observations of the electron density and particle velocities of the injected plasma, are described. Emission line intensities and spectral profiles give the electron kinetic energies during the switch operation and the ion velocity distributions. Secondary plasma ejection from the electrodes is also studied. In the Z-pinch experiment, spectral emission-line profiles are studied during the implosion phase. Doppler line shifts and widths yield the radial velocity distributions for various charge states in various regions of the plasma. Effects of plasma ejection from the cathode are also studied