Preliminary interferometric and probe measurements on a triggered plasma opening switch source

Summary form only given. Plasma opening switches (POS) have a long history in the pulsed-power field. The key idea behind the POS is to use plasma as a high conductivity low mass conduction channel in an opening switch configuration. The triggered plasma opening switch (TPOS) at Sandia National Laboratories is a unique device that exploits these plasma properties. The TPOS´s objective is to take the initial ~0.8 MA (~250 ns rise time) storage inductor current and deliver ~0.5 MA at ~2.4 MV (~10 ns rise time) to a load of ~5-10 Omega. Configuration advantages include low current jitter and resistive voltage drop, power gain, and minimization of trigger input power as the result of using two stages in series. This two-stage design is novel and is the first to demonstrate operation of magnetically triggered stages. Here we report preliminary measurements of switch plasma source parameters obtained by a CO₂ laser interferometer, a heterodyne tracking receiver type 120 GHz microwave interferometer, and Langmuir probes. The switch plasma is a key factor in determining switch performance, and these measurements are part of an effort to improve switch operation through better understanding of the plasma source spatial and temporal behavior