Generation and interaction of intense counterpropagating plasma flows

Results are presented from experimental studies of the parameters of two counterpropagating (colliding) plasma flows generated by discharges in crossed electric and magnetic fields. It is shown that the conversion efficiency of the energy deposited in the discharges into the energy of directed plasma flows is 0.3-0.6. For discharge current pulses with a duration of similar to10 mus, the energy flux density in the plasma flow reaches similar to10 J/cm(2) and the total energy of the flow is on the order of 300 J. The density of deuterons in the flows is similar to10(15) cm(-3), and the flow velocity is less than or equal to2 x 10(7) cm/s. The total number of particles carried by the flows is about 10(19). The possibility of using counterpropagating plasma flows to study reactions involving light nuclei (dd, pd, dt, and dHe reactions) in the range of ultralow collision energies is discussed. (C) 2003 MAIK "Nauka/Interperiodica ".