The initial stage of the plasma formation at skin explosion of cylindrical conductors

Abstract The formation of plasma on the surface of the electrically exploded conductor is a key issue in terms of the energy introduced into the metal substance. The purpose of this work was to study the dynamics of dense plasma formation on the metal surface at magnetic induction values of 200-600 T and its rising rates of (2-6) T/ns. The experiments were carried out on a terawatt MIG generator with current amplitude up to 2.5 MA and rise time of 100 ns. In experiments, skin electrical explosion of cylindrical conductors made of different materials and with different diameters was studied. The formation of plasma on the surface of the conductor was recorded using a four-frame optical camera with an exposure time of 3 ns for each frame. It was shown that when the current increases, “spots” appear on the surface of a cylindrical conductor. These spots are the centers of plasma formation. Later in the time, longitudional plasma channels were registered. In course of subsequent merging of the channels relatively uniform plasma formation occurs. The paper discusses the features of the dynamics of plasma formation as a function of the peak and the rising rate of the magnetic field induction.