A wire-array flux-compression cartridge installed on Sandia's Saturn pulsedpower generator doubled the current into a 3-nH load to 6 MA and halved itsrise time to 100 ns. The current into the load, however, was unexpectedlydelayed by almost 1 microsecond. Estimates of a plasma flow switch acting as along-conduction-time opening switch are consistent with key features of thepower compression. The results suggest that microsecond-conduction-time plasmaflow switches can be combined with flux compression both to amplify currentsand to sharpen pulse rise times in pulsed power drivers.
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