The inductance of imploding cylindrical wire array z-pinches has been determined from measurements of load voltage and current. A thorough analysis method is presented that explains how the load voltage of interest is found from raw signals obtained using a resistive voltage divider. This method is applied to voltage data obtained during z-pinch experiments carried out on the MAGPIE facility (1.4 MA, 240 ns rise-time) in order to calculate the load inductance and thereafter the radial trajectory of the effective current sheath during the snowplough implosion. Voltage and current are monitored very close to the load, allowing these calculations to be carried out without the need for circuit modelling. Measurements give a convergence ratio for the current of between 3.1 and 5.7 at stagnation of the pinch.
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March 2013
Research Article|
March 12 2013
Determination of the inductance of imploding wire array Z-pinches using measurements of load voltage
G. C. Burdiak;
G. C. Burdiak
Blackett Laboratory
, Imperial College, London SW7 2BW, United Kingdom
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S. V. Lebedev;
S. V. Lebedev
Blackett Laboratory
, Imperial College, London SW7 2BW, United Kingdom
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G. N. Hall;
G. N. Hall
Blackett Laboratory
, Imperial College, London SW7 2BW, United Kingdom
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A. J. Harvey-Thompson;
A. J. Harvey-Thompson
a)
Blackett Laboratory
, Imperial College, London SW7 2BW, United Kingdom
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F. Suzuki-Vidal;
F. Suzuki-Vidal
Blackett Laboratory
, Imperial College, London SW7 2BW, United Kingdom
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G. F. Swadling;
G. F. Swadling
Blackett Laboratory
, Imperial College, London SW7 2BW, United Kingdom
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E. Khoory;
E. Khoory
Blackett Laboratory
, Imperial College, London SW7 2BW, United Kingdom
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L. Pickworth;
L. Pickworth
Blackett Laboratory
, Imperial College, London SW7 2BW, United Kingdom
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S. N. Bland;
S. N. Bland
Blackett Laboratory
, Imperial College, London SW7 2BW, United Kingdom
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P. de Grouchy;
P. de Grouchy
Blackett Laboratory
, Imperial College, London SW7 2BW, United Kingdom
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J. Skidmore
J. Skidmore
Blackett Laboratory
, Imperial College, London SW7 2BW, United Kingdom
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a)
Current address: Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185-1106, USA.
Phys. Plasmas 20, 032705 (2013)
Article history
Received:
February 01 2013
Accepted:
February 22 2013
Citation
G. C. Burdiak, S. V. Lebedev, G. N. Hall, A. J. Harvey-Thompson, F. Suzuki-Vidal, G. F. Swadling, E. Khoory, L. Pickworth, S. N. Bland, P. de Grouchy, J. Skidmore; Determination of the inductance of imploding wire array Z-pinches using measurements of load voltage. Phys. Plasmas 1 March 2013; 20 (3): 032705. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4794957
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