Coaxial Plasma Gun Development for Plasma-Jet-Driven Magneto-Inertial Fusion (PJMIF)

PJMIF requires high-Z (e.g. Xe) plasma jets with velocity above 50 km/s, particle density > 10¹⁷ per cc, Mach number > 15, jet length < 5 cm, jet- to-jet variations in mass of less than 5% and launch time of less than 200 ns, with high degree of density and velocity uniformity within the jet. The deflagration and snow-plow acceleration of plasma tend to produce long jets. The plasma may be accelerated in the slab mode, with suitably contoured electrodes to avoid the blow-by instability. The plasma gun has undergone two generations of development. Development of a third generation of the gun (HJ1) is underway to meet the needs of PLX-a, an experiment to form a spherical plasma liner. The major components of the gun are the capacitor module, the PFN, the gun electrodes, the gas valve, the switch, and the pre-ionizer. Highlights of the development and the test data for these various components and the integrated system will be presented and dis­cussed.