Current sheath dynamics and its evolution studies in Sahand Filippov type plasma focus

One of the most important factors for optimizing the plasma focus device operation is the dynamics of the plasma. In this paper we investigated the profile, shape and dynamics of the current sheath by measuring the velocity and distribution of current sheath in Sahand1 Filippov type plasma focus device. For this purpose the discharge is produced in pure neon gas with deposited energy lying in the range of 14-50kJ. The current sheath is monitored using two magnetic probes, one with four and the other with three similar equi-distant coils. These probes installed in both radial and axial directions near the edge of the interior electrode (anode) are used for monitoring the shape and profile of the current sheath. The effect of the working pressure on the current sheath dynamics and its spatial evolution is also studied.