Compression of the magnetic flux by imploding ionizing shock waves [pulsed power]

Magnetic flux compression (MFC) by a cylindrically symmetric imploding ionizing shock front in media with variable conductivity is studied. It is shown that the maximum achievable magnetic field is limited mainly by two factors: by the effect of finite conductivity of the matter behind the shock wave (SW) and by electrical breakdown of the nonconductive media ahead of the SW. A numerical magnetohydrodynamic code (MFCICS) based on a conservative finite difference scheme has been developed to calculate the electromagnetic quantities and the structure of the shock front compressing the magnetic field. The code allows us to treat self-consistently MFC by an imploding SW in media with variable conductivity, using realistic equations of state and the dependence of the conductivity on the material state. As an example, MFC in CsI is specially discussed.