Development of a coaxial tapered electromagnetic shock tube for beam–plasma non-linear interaction experiments

• Published in: Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section B, Beam interactions with materials and atoms Beam interactions with materials and atoms, 2008-05, Vol.266 (10), p.2161-2164
• Main Authors: Katagiri, K., Hasegawa, J., Nishinomiya, S., Ikagawa, H., Oguri, Y.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Heavy-ion inertial confinement fusion; Non-ideal plasmas; Shock waves; Stopping power
• ISSN: 0168-583X; 1872-9584
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nimb.2008.02.056

A coaxial electromagnetic shock tube was developed to produce a non-ideal plasma target with Γ∼0.1 (Γ: Plasma coupling constant) for non-linear interaction experiments between ion beams and plasmas. To evaluate the shock velocity, we photographed the trajectory of the shock front along the tube by a streak camera. From these measurements, we found that the shock waves are strong enough to produce a non-ideal plasma in the tube. To reduce the plasma thickness for the stopping power measurements, the effective diameter of the tube was reduced by using a tapered section. The effects of the tapered section on the shock velocity and the shape of the shock front were examined. Using a 30 tapered section, the shock velocity was increased up to 54km/s compared with 47km/s for a straight tube.