Variation of focus action with electrode length for an inner electrode of negative polarity

A 2.3 kJ plasma focus (PF) device was used to investigate the variation of focus action with electrode length using argon, air, and nitrogen as filling gases. It was observed that for an inner electrode (IE) of negative polarity, the focus action improved tremendously as the electrode lengths were reduced from 80 to 40 mm. The high voltage (HV) pulse width also decreased with the decrease in electrode lengths. Third, the best focus peak of the HV pulse was shifted toward higher focus pressures, and the range for good focus action was broader. There is a tendency toward improvement of focus action toward significantly shorter IE lengths (about 40 mm) for negative polarity as compared to positive polarity, where the optimum IE length is 150 mm. This suggests that plasma contamination due to ablated IE material is minimized with shorter electrode length for negative IE. This could provide part of the solution to the polarity riddle of PF devices in relation to neutron production.