Snowplow modeling of a long-conduction-time plasma opening switch

Abstract

The modified snowplow model of a plasma opening switch is proposed. The conduction phase is divided into two parts. The first part lasts until the current-carrying channel reaches the load end of the pre-filled plasma. The second part, the transition phase to the opening, is characterized by the motion of current carrying channel downstream the initial plasma location. The equation of motion of the current channel is solved for both phases and the snowplow mechanism for high-voltage pulse generation is developed. The theoretical dependencies are in good agreement with the experiment, which includes interferometry and optical fiber measurements of current front translation. The qualitative model of the switch plasma behavior is proposed and used in explanations of various plasma opening switch features.