A MAGNETIZED COAXIAL SOURCE FACILITY FOR THE GENERATION OF ENERGETIC PLASMA FLOWS

The design features and characterization of a new magnetized coaxial p lasma source facility for the generation of energetic plasma stream fl ows are presented. Careful, yet simple design of a low-inductance (les s-or-similar-to 200 nH) external power delivery system provides high-c urrent (great-or-similar-to 130 kA) pulses to the plasma source with f ast rise (approximately 26 mus). This allows for the production and ac celeration of dense (approximately 2 x 10(15) cm-3), high-quality (10- 40 eV), self-field plasmas to approximately 10(5) m s-1. We are then a fforded the laboratory study of plasma streams with a wide variety of applications including, but not limited to, advanced thrusters for ele ctric propulsion, astrophysical jets, critical ionization velocity, ma gnetic fusion, large-scale plasma etching and deposition, etc. Compari son to an ideal MHD model is made indicating reasonably good agreement in these self-field discharges, while elucidating the advantages of s trong applied magnetization to provide nozzling in a magnetically cons tricted flow.