ISSN:
1089-7623
Source:
AIP Digital Archive
Topics:
Physics
,
Electrical Engineering, Measurement and Control Technology
Notes:
The shape and absolute intensity of the infrared emission as a function of wavelength can yield information about the conditions in a plasma. This diagnostic technique has been reviewed by Zwicker,1 who gives several examples of its application to low density plasmas. We have applied this diagnostic, for the first time, to a high density (∼1020 cm−3) plasma, a collapsing gas (argon) shell Z pinch. Using a fast Au doped Ge detector and infrared notch filters we have scanned the emitted spectrum from ∼0.5 to 8.2 μm with l-ns time resolution. This spectral range encompasses the optically thin-to-thick transition as well as the plasma frequency at the time of peak compression. We will present this data along with an interpretation which allows us to follow the development of the pinched column during the thermalization stage.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.1138049
