METHOD AND DEVICE FOR PRODUCING SELF- COMPRESSED PLASMA CHANNEL Russian patent published in 2004 - IPC

FIELD: electric gas discharge engineering for roentgen microlithography, neutronography, analyses of biologic entities, and other fields of science and technology. SUBSTANCE: proposed method for generating self- compressed plasma channel depends on electrical discharge of gas admitted in pulsed manner to pre-evacuated chamber. Gas admission to vacuum is effected under transient gas flow conditions, and moment of high-voltage supply to electrodes is chosen in advance of onset of outflow gas expansion. Device implementing proposed method has evacuated chamber with coaxial electrodes, high-voltage power supply, and unit for pulsed gas admission through channel in one of electrodes. Channel length is chosen from expression l₀≫C_s•Δt, where l₀ is channel length; C_s is sound velocity in gas being admitted; Δt is operating time of unit for pulsed gas admission equal to time interval between commencement of gas valve opening and moment of its full opening. EFFECT: complete confinement of high-voltage energy storage current in plasma channel whose radius is about millimeter and smaller. 2 cl, 1 dwg