Microsecond conduction time plasma opening switch research at NRL

Microsecond conduction time plasma opening switch (POS) research is being pursued to improve the understanding of the physical mechanisms responsible for conduction and opening with the goal of improved switching for pulsed power applications. Experiments on Hawk show the dominant effect of MHD distortion during conduction for a large range of experimental parameters. Electron and neutral densities are measured in the switch and load regions for comparison with theory. The dependence of the power flow on the load impedance time history is investigated using plasma-filled and vacuum diode loads.