Pinches and micropinches in the SPEED 2 plasma focus

Abstract

Dynamical pinches (z-pinch, plasma focus) produce two different modes of pinch plasmas, unstable columns with successive short-lived micropinches or stable narrow columns with lifetimes around 50 ns. These two modes depend on the energy density of the plasma sheath and the atomic number of the working gas. Low energy density and/or heavy gases result in the micropinch mode; high energy density and/or light gases result in the stable column mode (SCM).