Imploding plasma loads for high power pulsed generators.

Experiments with imploding plasma loads have been carried out with two generators, BLACKJACK 5 and BLACKJACK 3 having peak powers of 10 TW and 1 TW respectively. Using relatively massive wire arrays with array diameters from 0.4 to 1.2 cm and a 3 cm length, parametric studies of imploding plasmas have been completed including effects of array mass and wire material. A broad range of diagnostics have been developed to allow temporal, spatial and spectral characterization of the plasma. Details of the diagnostics and recent experiments will be reviewed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]