Asymmetric spreading of a radial foil plasma jet due to imposed magnetic field

Previous investigations of exploding radial foils have shown the formation of an axial plasma jet in the early stages of the foil explosion. Here a thin foil is grounded at an outer annulus and contacted in the center by a small straight rod cathode driven by the 1MA COBRA. Present experiments focus on the initial jet development with an applied B-field. A field perpendicular to the direction of jet propagation is provided by permanent magnets. Visible laser backlighting and XUV emission diagnostics observe a spreading of the jet that is only present with the magnets. XMHD simulations with the 2D code PERSEUS supplement this work and indicate possible explanations for the observed experimental behavior.