Load current sharpening and liner implosions on a capacitor bank

Experiments on sharpening the current through the liner load were performed on a capacitor bank (I ∼ 400 kA, T/4 ∼ 1.1 µs). Three load region configurations were tested. Each configuration includes two gas-puff shells. The current flows through the outer shell and switches to the inner shell at the current maximum. High efficiency of the inductive energy transfer to the liner and x -ray radiation (∼50%) was demonstrated. Visible streak and x-ray pinhole cameras were used to observe the behavior of the shells and the formation of a compact pinch (rf <1 mm). The highest neon A´-shell yield (up to 80 J) was obtained for the double shell liner configuration. The mechanism of the current switching to the inner shell is discussed.