Velocity and temperature measurements of Z pinch plasmas using optical Thomson scattering

Summary form only given. A Thomson scattering diagnostic has been developed to probe plasmas produced using the MAGPIE generator (1.4MA, 240ns). The diagnostic uses a frequency doubled Nd:YAG laser delivering ~3-4J in 8ns FWHM to the target plasma. The density and temperature of the wire array targets probed produces scattered light in the collective regime (α>;>;1). Any bulk motion of the probed plasma Doppler shifts the scattered spectrum allowing the velocity of the probed plasma to be measured. Measurements of the ablation velocity in cylindrical wire arrays at different positions in the arrays and for different wire materials as well as for jets produced by radial arrays are presented. In addition, the ion acoustic features in this scattering regime can be used to take measurements of electron and ion temperatures in e.g. precursor plasmas.