Spark gap produced plasma diagnostics

Summary form only given. A spark gap (2-8-kV applied voltage, 4-μF capacitance, 1-in tube diameter, 0.3-0.5-in electrode distance) was made to generate a small-size dynamic plasma. Four detection systems were used to measure the plasma density and temperature as a function of time and position: a Mach-Zehnder-type interferometer for the plasma refractivity, an expansion speed detector using two He-Ne laser beams, image processing using a lens and an optical-fiber array for pointwise radiation sensing, and Faraday rotation of an optical fiber to measure the azimuthal component of the B-field generated by the plasma drift. These systems were used for wire explosion diagnostics and can also be used for laser-driven plasma