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 ∼10 µs, the energy flux density in the plasma flow reaches ∼10 J/cm2 and the total energy of the flow is on the order of 300 J. The density of deuterons in the flows is ∼1015 cm−3, and the flow velocity is ≤2×107 cm/s. The total number of particles carried by the flows is about 1019. 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.