Plasma Erosion Opening Switch Operation at Long Conduction Times

The plasma erosion opening switch (PEOS) can conduct large (~megamperes) currents for several tens of nanoseconds before opening in < 10 ns, generating megavolt-level voltages in the process. In the present experiment, the conduction time of the PEOS has been extended by almost an order of magnitude to several hundred nanoseconds. The dependence of the peak conduction current on PEOS parameters and the results of magnetic probe and load voltage measurements are all consistent with PEOS theory. These results indicate that the PEOS operating mechanisms at these long conduction times are the same as those operating in previous experiments at shorter conduction times. Translation of the switch plasma into the load region, due to j¿ × B¿ forces during the conduction phase, was not observed in this experiment.