Thomson Scattering diagnostics for pulsed-power-driven plasma characterization

Understanding high-energy-density shock formation in hydrodynamic systems is crucial for advancing numerical work related to a variety of inertial confinement fusion and astrophysical phenomena. We present analysis of magnetically accelerated, pulsed-power-driven plasmas using optical Thomson scattering diagnostics at the 1 MA COBRA generator at Cornell University. An inverse wire array experimental setup drives a current through a central electrode, splitting into mid-to-high-Z material wires to create plasma. The global B-field generated by the cathode interacts with the current in each wire, accelerating the plasma radially outward via the Lorentz force. Doppler-shifted Thomson scattering spectra are used to quantify the radial velocity and temperature of the plasma without perturbation. Measured data is iteratively fit to a collisionless theoretical spectral density function, providing a reliable estimate of plasma properties with Monte Carlo error characterization. We aim to compare the experimental data with error bars to simulation efforts in hopes of benchmarking numerical models and broadening our understanding of pulsed-power-driven plasma systems.