Studies on the collision and compression of plasmas of coaxial accelerators

The present thesis had the goal to study plasmas of coxial accelerators in view of the generation of high electron densities as well as intense UV/VUV backlight source. For this first the geometry of a single accelerator was characterized and optimized in order to create the as possible optimal conditions for the in the following performed studies on the collision and compression of the produced plasmas. With spectroscopic measurement of the Stark broadening of the H_β the electron density of the plasma could be time- and space-integratedly determined. The maximal density of (6.83±0.83).10¹⁵ cm³ was measured at 9 kV and 70 mbar. The electron temperature determined by the Boltzmann method time- and space-integratedly lies at about 1 eV. After a sufficient characterization of the single accelerator the experiment was extended by a second equal-type accelerator in order to study the planar collision of two plasmas. The maximally measure electron density of n_e^max=(1.36±0.21).10¹⁶ cm³ at 9 kV and 70 mbar represents in comparison to the single plasma an increasement by a factor of 2.48 and is accompagnied by a temperature increasement. The spectrum in the UV/VUV range exhibits lines of above 85 nm. As alternative to the plasma collision the compression of the single accelerator was studied.