Overview of Progress on the NRL Dense Plasma Focus Program

A dense plasma focus (DPF) experimental and modeling program has recently started using the Hawk pulsed-power generator at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), which is a high-inductance (607 nH) generator with a rise time of 1.2 μs and a peak current of 650 kA into a DPF load. In this poster we give a status update of the project, with an overview of both the experimental and modeling results. This overview includes experimental results of interferometric density measurements, x-ray pinhole images of the pinch, neutron yield measurements, ion-pinhole diagnostic results, and preliminary x-ray spectral measurements. The modeling results include 2D and 3D MHD simulations of the DPF as well as an investigation into the effect of various fluid model approximations on the development of the m=0 pinch instability.