Plasma instability measurements on planar Al foil loads driven using the MAIZE 1-MA LTD facility

Summary form only given. Initial dynamic load experiments were performed on UM´s 1-MA linear transformer driver (LTD) facility, MAIZE, to characterize magneto-Rayleigh-Taylor (MRT) instability growth and plasma dynamics on planar-foil plasmas. The MAIZE LTD is capable of delivering a 1-MA, <; 100 ns risetime drive pulse into a 0.1 Ω matched load with a ±100 kV charge. For these dynamic load experiments the LTD was charged to ±70 kV to deliver up to 0.7 MA with a 170 ns risetime into the foil load. The loads themselves utilized a double current return plate geometry with a 400 nm-thick Al foil positioned between the return plates. The foil´s initial position between the return plates determined the net magnetic pressure used to accelerate the foil plasma. This acceleration was used to drive MRT instability that was measured using shadowgraphy from a sub-ns, frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser diagnostic. Plasma dynamics were observed to be dominated by an initial expansion phase where both foil interfaces were found to be unstable with approximately 100 ns e-folding times. These data and instability measurements will be presented and compared to MRT theory; (see abstract by Lau et al. at this conference). Next generation experimental configurations will be discussed.