Measurement of micropinch electron density in a plasma focus by electron satellites

Measurement of micropinch electron plasma in plasma focus type discharge, using argon and argon-xenon mixture as a working gas, are presented. Measuring is based on the effect of dielectron satellite intensities redistribution in dense plasma. It is shown that electron density for 50 μm diameter (Ar+Xe mixture) micropinches is 6x1022 cm-3 at 700-1000 eV plasma temperature. On the assumption of Bennet equation these measurements mean that 25-40% of the total discharge current concentrate in near-axial pinch region