Laser probing of the plasma in the S-300 facility (Plasma Phys. Rep. 28, 790 (2002))

1. The S-300 eight-module generator, operating at a current of up to 4 MA with a current rise time of 100 ns and impedance of 0.15 Ohm, is destined for experiments with high-temperature pulsed plasmas of light liners and Z-pinches. Among a number of different diagnostics the facility has been equipped by laser diagnostic setup too. Laser probing (interferometry, shadow and the schlieren photography, etc.) has long been a classic method for diagnosing imploding plasmas. This method allows one to study a plasma with a definite density magnitude and gradients. However, to implement this diagnostics in pulsed high-current generators, it is necessary to solve a number of problems related to both the design of the generators and the specific conditions under which experiments are carried out: large distances between the probing radiation source, the object under study, and the image plane; the relatively small dimensions of the object; and, finally, rigid requirements to the synchronization between the probing laser pulse and the current pulse through the load. In this paper, we describe a system for the laser probing of the plasma in the S-300 high-current generator [1]. In our opinion, the system is fairly well suited for these conditions.