Skin Explosions of Stepped Cylindrical Copper Conductors

Abstract

Experiments on the high-current MIG generator at a current of up to 2.5 MA rising in 100 ns were performed to study the electrical explosion of cylindrical copper conductors with circular steps in a magnetic field of 200–800 T. Such a stepped load allowed us to analyze the plasma dynamics at different values of magnetic induction in the same experiment. At about 300–400 T, visible radiation from the conductor surface appeared, and when the conductor was illuminated by an external radiation source, radial plasma jets from the edges of its steps were detected. The velocity of plasma jets was up to 2.7.106 cm/s, being 5–6 times higher than the velocity of surface plasma expansion.