Compact toroid translation with relevance to plasma flow switching

Numerous experiments involving the generation and translation of compact toroid (CT) magnetized plasmas in straight and conical compression geometries have been performed at the Phillips Laboratory. The SHIVA STAR fast capacitor bank (1300 /spl mu/F, 3 nH, 30 kV-120 kV) has been used, with additional series inductance (/spl sim/50 nH), to deliver multi-megampere currents to the CT plasmas and drive them through coaxial vacuum electrode gaps of approximately 1 meter length. Traditional B-dot probes in the gap have provided spatially localized time histories of both the driving toroidal, and CT internal poloidal and toroidal, magnetic fields. From these measurements we have been able to assess the applicability of such translating plasmas as long-conduction-time plasma flow switches, and to design an experimental, demonstration of their effectiveness in conjunction with a pulsed-gas dense-plasma-focus (DPF) load. In this paper we summarize relevant results from our previous experiments and present design information and 21/2-D MHD supporting calculations for a CT-switched DPF demonstration experiment.