Development Of Railgun Diagnostics

A railgun simulator has been constructed at UTA that is capable of producing a high current, moving plasma armature. The railgun simulator may be fired tens of times per day in order to provide large amounts of data on plasma armature parameters. The high repetition rate allows for the development of diagnostic techniques that may be applied to railguns. The device at UTA has been used to test and develop techniques for acquiring and interpreting optical data, to measure the amount of optical laser transmission through the plasma, and to measure the plasma velocity. A new experimental chamber has been constructed that will greatly enhance the flexibility of the device, and allow for further plasma studies and diagnostics development.