Stopping power of proton beams for dense plasma diagnostic

A new method to generate plasma targets with electron densities n/sub e//spl ges/10/sup 20/ cm/sup -3/ behind strong shock waves to study the energy loss of protons and heavy ions is discussed. The problems of matching of for a large scale accelerator facility and the explosive technique are considered. It is suggested to use a small (<150 g TNT) vacuum pumped explosive metallic chambers with fast valves in such experiments. Details on the construction and performance of small-sized explosively driven generators of strong shock waves are presented. The experimental setup including the proton accelerator ISTRA-36 and the explosive chamber, which have been installed in ITEP, is presented. The measured values of proton beam energy losses were 100-400 keV in dependence on plasma parameters. Comparison of the first experimental data with the theoretical models is discussed.