Power-Flow Between A Plasma-Opening Switch And A Load Separated By A High-Inductance Magnetically Insulated Transmission-Line

Results are presented from particle-in-cell simulations of the electron flow launched from a plasma opening switch (POS) into a magnetically insulated transmission line (MITL) as the POS opens. The opening process of the POS is treated by removing plasma from a fixed anode-cathode gap with an opening time of tau(rise). To be similar to opening switch experiments at Physics International, the simulations were performed with the same inductance L(MITL) between the POS and load. When L(MITL)/tau(rise) is large compared to the POS flow impedance, this inductance effectively isolates the POS from the load during the opening process and the POS voltage is insensitive to changes in the load impedance. Analysis and simulations show that the peak load power is maximized when the load impedance is equal to the POS flow impedance. In contrast to previous theories and simulations of magnetically insulated flows, a large amount of electron flow in the MITL is concentrated near the anode. This is a result of the high effective impedance imposed on the POS by the inductive load which causes a significant electron current loss in the POS. As a result, many electrons lose insulation on the load side of the POS gap and those that do flow into the MITL have been accelerated to nearly the full POS potential. Electrons then EXB drift on equipotential lines close to the anode as they enter the MITL and flow toward the load. Current losses in the MITL are observed due to the proximity of the electron flow to the anode. Some electrons flow from the MITL directly into the load and are registered as load current while others EXB drift back toward the POS along the cathode surface. This is possible because the electron flow launched into the MITL from the POS is large enough to cause sufficient positive image charges on the cathode so that the electric field points out of the cathode surface.