INFRARED EMISSION AND 10 .6μm LASER SCATTERING FROM THE DENSE PLASMA FOCUS

摘要

An experimental study has been conducted on a dense plasma focus using CO- laser scattering and infrared brems strahlung emission along with the standard diagnostics of neutron, hard and soft x-ray emissions, streak and framing photography. These diagnostics help demonstrate a two stage develop ment of the plasma;a high density pinch stage followed by a lower density turbulent stage. Both stages are found to contain Vocal sources of strong nonthermal, infrared emission with enhancements upto 10 over thermal bremsstrahlung levels. During the pinch phase the nonthermal radiation has frequency ~ 2wp. During the low density stage, nonthermal radiation is observed at a frequency many times higher than the average plasma frequency and it is postulated that small current filaments (plasmoids) form which have density ten times larger than the average plasma density.