Current sheath behavior and its velocity enhancement in a low energy Mather-type plasma focus device

The dynamics of the plasma sheath layer and its velocity enhancement have been studied in a low energy (4.9 kJ) Mather-type plasma focus device. Experiments were performed to study the effect of the Lorentz force variation on the current sheath expansion and movement, as well as the existence of traction between all parts of the sheath layer. Two different shape of anodes (cylindrical and step) along with an axial magnetic probe were used to investigate the effects of various experimental conditions, namely different charging voltages and gas pressures. In order to explore the upper limit of the current sheath velocity, a comparison has been made between the experimental data gathered by the probe and the Lee's computational model. The limitations governing the enhancement of the current sheath velocity that can lead to the deterioration of a good focusing phenomenon were also investigated. The increase of the current sheath velocity due to the usage of the step anode on ion generation and hard x-ray emissions have been demonstrated by means of an ion collector and a hard x-ray detector.