Heavy-ion beams produced by high-voltage pulse-powered plasma focus

We report preliminary experimental studies of heavy-ion beams produced by a new type of plasma focus device which is powered by a fast high-voltage pulse of ∼500 kV, ∼20 kA, and ∼50 ns. A variety of ion species, either from solid materials or gases, were obtained and their beam characteristics, including charge states, energy spectrum, and emittance, were measured.