Features of electric discharge in gas of high density

The two-stage facility for the exploration of powerful electric discharge in gas of the corpuscle concentration n of 10/sup 22/-10/sup 23/ cm/sup -3/ was created and tested. The adiabatic compression of gas is performing by the piston at the first stage of thus facility operation. The discharge of capacitive storage was triggered after the achieving maximum pressure in the chamber. The heated gas exhausts from the discharge chamber through the diaphragm unit. In performed experiments the following parameters were measured and estimated: voltage drop on arc, current, arc resistance, pressure in the chamber and corpuscles concentration. Experiment results permit to define the configuration of electrode system provided the stable arc burning at high pressure of gas. It was found that efficiency of energy transfer from arc to gas is close to 100% at such condition (gas pressure and concentration of corpuscles).