Dense transient plasmas driven by a mega-ampere device in the Chilean nuclear energy commission

Recently, the pulse power generator SPEED 2, a medium energy and large current device (187kJ, 4MA, 300kV, 400ns, dI/dt ∼ 10¹³ A/s), has been transfered from the Düsseldorf University to the Plasma Physics Group of the Comisión Chilena de Energía Nuclear (CCHEN). The SPEED 2 arrived at CCHEN in May 2001 and was in operation in January 2002, being the most powerful device for dense transient plasma in the Southern Hemisphere. Experiments in different Z-pinch configurations using the SPEED 2 generator will be carried out at CCHEN in the future. Possible objectives using the SPEED 2 devices are discussed in this work: a) Neutron flux characteristics from plasma focus discharges operating in D2 (with temporal and spatial resolution) correlated to discharge parameters, plasma dynamics and instabilities. Particular investigation of the effect of insulator surface preparation and conditioning on pinch behavior and neutron yield, b) High brightness and soft X- ray radiation from transient electrical discharges, especially in wire arrays, and c) Magnetic confinement in a quasistatic z-pinch at mega ampere peak current. Plasma dynamics and stability in an original quasi-static z-pinch configuration (a gas embedded compressional Z-pinch) and in a combination scheme that use gas puff and plasma focus will be studied at high current using the SPEED 2 generator. Results about SPEED 2 performance, obtained in Chile, are presented.