The plasma z-pinch effect on the I-V characteristic of fast discharge flash tubes

Our empirical results show that the I-V relationship of flash lamps operating in the preionized mode with peak current density higher than 2 kA/cm2 follows Marotta’s formula V=K0i0.85, and reduces to Gonz’s equation V=K0i0.5 for current density lower than 0.6 k A/cm2. At a high-current, short-pulse system, the inductance Lf and the equivalent negative resistance dLf/dt across the flash tube becomes more significant than the inductance of the external circuit. The plasma z-pinch equation can successfully solve these time-variation terms.