Interaction of a Supersonic Plasma Jet With an Argon Ambient Using Laser Interferometry

Highly supersonic radiatively cooled plasma jets are produced by introducing a 1-MA 250-ns current pulse from the MAGPIE generator into a radial foil. The setup allows for the introduction of a neutral gas above the foil, in order to study the jet-ambient interaction. The dynamics are characterized by the formation of several shock features, which are imaged using laser interferometry. This diagnostic also allows to measure the electron density of the plasma, and examples of such results are presented here.