Experiments and diagnostics for investigation of shock formation in colliding hypersonic magnetized plasma flows

The problem of producing collisional and collisionless shocks in the laboratory is of great interest for numerous space plasma applications1. One approach is based on the idea of combining strong magnetic field created during a Z-pinch discharge with a plasma flow produced in the process of two wire implosion experiment2. In support of laboratory experiment we propose to use pulse power generator with the following parameters: 2.5kA, 80kV, rise time of 5ns. Magnetic fields of 104 Gauss, very near the wires, are created due to the currents produced by the pulse power generator. This will allow us to investigate interaction of two colliding plasma flows with frozen magnetic fields in opposite directions. Parameters of the flow will correspond to that produced in the process of wire implosion experiments in the Antenna and Electromagnetic Technology Branch's Plasma Physics Sensors Laboratory (PPSL). Currently with the existing power in the pulse power generator collisional radiative shocks can be created in the vicinity of a reconnection region in such a system.