A Summary of Experimental Results from Inductive Store Pulse Compression Experiments with Plasma Opening Switches on the Pulse Power Generators Pollux and KALIF

Experimental results from inductive store pulse compression experiments with plasma opening switches are presented. The experiments have been performed on the high-power pulse generators Pollux and KALIF operating at nominal powers of 0.1 and 1.5 TW, respectively. A large range of switch geometries, currents, voltages, and magnetic fields have been investigated. Diode loads with falling and rising impedance characteristics have been applied. A peak-power multiplication of 2 has been demonstrated in the Pollux experiments. The power multiplication in the present experiments was limited by the lack of magnetic insulation in the switch and adjacent feed section at higher load impedances. The limitations were much more severe than predicted by laminar flow theories of magnetic insulation. Generally, magnetic insulation was superior, with diode loads having rising impedance characteristics.