Interferometer measurements in pulsed plasma experiments

Summary form only given. Short time scale plasma plays key role in most pulsed power systems like plasma opening switch, z-pinch, electromagnetic launchers and in pulsed laser beam-target interaction study. All mentioned plasmas have different densities and temperatures, but these parameters lie inside the operational density range of He-Ne laser interferometer and can be measured. Plasma pulse duration is usually between 100 ns and 1 ms that makes possible to use the interferometer without precise arm length stabilization, because vibration of the optical elements of the interferometer has characteristic time of several to several tens milliseconds. A simple He-Ne laser interferometer of Michelson scheme is used to measure the line-integrated plasma density in various plasma experiments. Time and spatially resolved measurements were performed for plasmas covering the line-integrated electron plasma density range between 10/sup -14/ and 10/sup 19/ cm/sup -2/.