Soft Photon Effects on Vacuum Power Flow.
Abstract
Understanding the physical processes of high power electrical energy is of major importance for the advancement of state-of-art directed energy, simulation and confined fusion programs. Generation of high voltage, short duration pulses may result in high energy density plasma which produces quantities of VUV and soft X-ray photons in the range of 0.15-10 ev. Power transport down vacuum lines presents two problems which must be dealt with in every application-insulator flashover and electrode gap closure. The pulsed flashover and ablative closure mechanisms under soft VUV photon fluence are described. Two tests were conducted. First, an insulator surface was subjected to VUV photons (0.5 ev) using apertures of 0.0156 to 0.5 inches in diameter with and without a quartz window. The apertures had no effect in inhibiting a flashover; however, the quartz window prevented the occurrance of insulator flashover. Second the gap closure rate of copper electrodes under the photon fluence of 6 x 10'9 watts per square meter was measured. A gap closure rate of 0.35 cm/microsecond was determined for the copper electrodes.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1981
- Accession Number
- ADA115516
Entities
People
- Oakley J. Mitchell
- Richard J. Blaher
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology