Precision solid liner experiments on Pegasus II

Abstract

Pulsed power systems have been used in the past to drive solid liner implosions for a variety of applications. In combination with a variety of target configurations, solid liner drivers can be used to compress working fluids, produce shock waves and study material properties in convergent geometry. The utility of such a driver depends in part on how well-characterized the drive conditions are. This, in part, requires a pulsed power system with a well-characterized current waveform and well-understood electrical parameters. At Los Alamos, the authors have developed a capacitively driven, inductive store pulsed power machine, Pegasus, which meets these needs. They have also developed an extensive suite of diagnostics which are capable of characterizing the performance of the system and of the imploding liners. Pegasus consists of a 4.3 MJ capacitor bank, with a capacitance of 850 /spl mu/f fired with a typical initial bank voltage of 90 kV or less. The bank resistance is about 0.5 m/spl Omega/, and bank plus power flow channel has a total inductance of about 24 nH. In this paper, the authors consider the theory and modeling of the first precision solid liner driver fielded on the Pegasus pulsed power facility.