Pinch modes produced in the SPEED2 plasma focus

Deuterium discharges in the SPEED2 plasma focus doped with heavy gases (e.g. neon, argon) produce two pinch modes, the micropinch mode (MPM) or the stable column mode (SCM), with a transition regime where the initial SCM is followed by the MPM. Micropinches are local radiative collapses initiated by instabilities (m = 0 type) of low-energy-density pinch plasmas. These instabilities and the successive micropinches can be suppressed by kinetic deuterons produced during dynamical compression of high-energy-density deuterium plasma sheaths. Depending on the relaxation of this fast deuteron component the pinch column can be stabilized for several tens of nanoseconds. The SCM optimized with respect to the compression ratio is a powerful linear radiation source of high density (up to 10(27) m(-3)) and temperature (up to 1 keV).