Formation and acceleration of precompressed compact tori in RACE

Summary form only given. The Ring Accelerator Experiment (RACE) has compressed compact tori (CTs) by a factor of 2 in radius before acceleration, after being reconfigured with a precompressor cone followed by a short, 80-cm-long, coaxial accelerator. Slow formation has been tested with a 1-μH inductor to slow the 60-kV gun bank. Results have also been obtained from a new 10-kV, 200-kJ slow bank. The formation can be either stable, producing symmetrical rings, or unstable producing asymmetrical rings. Magnetic fields of up to 7 kG are formed in the precompressor, with a maximum outer electrode radius of 16 cm. Compression of the CT results when the accelerator bank is fired, creating a B₀ field to drive the CT down the precompressor cone. Acceleration has resulted in velocities as high as 40 cm/μs; however, the CT velocity is generally constant rather than accelerated after leaving the precompressor