A plasma focus device as a metallic plasma jet generator

This paper aims at a test of a plasma focus (PF) device as a metallic plasma jet generator. The experiment was carried out at the DPF-1000U device in which the inner electrode face was conically shaped. Deuterium (D-2) with the initial pressure of 0.9 Torr was used as a filling gas. In the experiment, a metallic plasma was ensured due to erosion of the inner electrode during a PF discharge. To create the metallic plasma jet, the eroded copper (Cu) plasma, swept by the deuterium plasma sheath, was accelerated axially and compressed to very small radius (about 1-2 mm). The Cu plasma jet achieved a velocity of 3 x 10(7) cm/s. To study processes of the plasma jet creation and propagation a 16-frame laser interferometer and a fourframe X-ray pinhole camera were used. Recorded images prove a successful adaptation of the PF device to the metallic plasma jet generator.