Dynamic plasma pressure measurements

An interferometric registration scheme for dynamic plasma pressure measurem ents has been developed and tested. The sensitive element of this scheme is an acoustic quartz rod. A description of the method is presented. The main features of the proposed scheme are the absence of a calibration procedure , the small size of the sensitive area, and the possibility of separating t he studied object from the measuring setup. Experimental results for a capi llary discharge plasma in a polyethylene slab with three different diameter s of the channel, namely, 1.5, 2, and 3 mm are shown and illustrate the fea sibility of the approach. Pressures in the range 30-600 bar were recorded. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.