Proton probing of magnetic fields in exploding wire experiments

Determination of B-field structures in pulsed power driven exploding wire experiments is vital to recover detailed information about the evolution, driving mechanisms of ablation, and subsequent instability development, but is complicated by the presence of large volumes of hot, dense plasma. Optical and electrical probe diagnostics typically fail early in the experiment. We present progress on a new project, which examines the use of proton deflectometry to measure magnetic fields in pulsed power plasmas.