The generation and use of megagauss magnetic fields have been subjects of research and development in laboratories around the world for over a quarter of a century. Research goals have included the development of compact, short-pulse, electrical power sources and the production of ultrahigh magnetic field strengths over significant experimental volumes. Energies measured in megajoules, currents in megamperes and timescales of microseconds are not uncommon in such work. Phase changes, insulator breakdowns, and local des­ truction of the apparatus are also frequently encountered. Some efforts have involved the use of high explosive systems, developing methodologies rather distinct from those of a normal physics laboratory. Manipulation of magnetic flux to exchange energy between high speed, electrically conducting flows and high strength electromagnetic fields remains, of course, a basic interaction of classical physics. The remoteness of the necessary experimental sites (at least in many instances) and the various national concerns for security of defense-related research have often limited the flow of information between investigators of separate organizations, working in common areas of technical concern. Occa­ sionally, however, it has been possible for the community of scientists and engineers engaged in work on high magnetic fields and related high energy den­ sity systems to gather together and exchange results and plans, successes and failures. The first such international gathering was in 1965 at the Conference on Megagauss Magnetic Field Generation by Explosives and Related Experi­ ments, Frascati, Italy.

Springer Book Archives

Experimental Techniques in Ultrahigh Magnetic Field Generation.- Pulsed Magnetic Field Generators and Their Practical Applications.- Production and Measurements of Megagauss Magnetic Fields in Single-Turn Coils.- Measurement of Pulsed Magnetic Fields Produced by Flux Compression, in Imploding Liners.- TOFS-A Timing Optical Fiber System.- Test Bench for Operation with Great Explosive Charges Under Laboratory Conditions.- Conductors and Insulators at High Energy Densities and Speeds.- High-Energy Electric Pulse Generation by Cumulative Explosion.- Explosive Plasma Source Experiment.- Electrophysical Properties of Detonation Products of Condensed Explosives.- Xenon Shock Waves Driven by High Magnetic Fields.- Extinguishing of the Electric Arc Compressed by Shock Waves.- Design and Analysis of Isentropic Compression Experiments.- Effects of Metallurgical Microstructure of Armatures on Compressed Magnetic Field Generators.- Shock-Induced Electrical Switching in Polymeric Films.- Generation of Ultrahigh Magnetic Fields by Small-Scale Single-Shot Experiments.- Modeling of Magnetodynamic Systems.- Small Helical Flux Compression Amplifiers.- Energy Capabilities and Magnetic Flux Losses in "Bellows"-Type Explosive Generators.- COMAG-III: A 2-D MHD Code for Helical CMF Generators.- Numerical Studies of Helical CMF Generators.- MHD Phenomena at High Magnetic Reynolds Number.- Plasma Crowbars in Cylindrical Flux Compression Experiments.- Magnetic Flux Compression by Expanding Plasma Armatures.- An Equivalent Circuit Model for a Solenoidal Compressed Magnetic Field Generator.- A Finite-Element Model of Compressed Magnetic Field Generators.- Advanced Pulsed Power Topics.- Pulse Transformer Operation in Megagauss Fields.- Magnetic Propulsion for a Hypervelocity Launcher.- MagneticPropulsion Railguns: Their Design and Capabilities.- Shiva X-Ray Source Experiments.- Numerical Simulation of the Effects of an Injected BZ Field on an Imploding Hollow Plasma Liner.- Inductively Driven Imploding Plasma System for X-Ray Generation.- A Very Fast Electromagnetically Operated Circuit Breaker.- Fast Opening Switches Carrying Multimegampere Currents.- Imploding Liner Systems for Fusion.- Review of the NRL Liner Implosion Program.- On Efficiency of Two-Step Energy Transformation in a System with Inductive Storage for MCG Magnetic Field Production.- Results from the Los Alamos Fast Liner Experiment.- Liner Thermonuclear Systems with Superhigh Magnetic Field and ? > 1.- Adiabatic Compression of 3-D Plasma Magnetic Field Configuration.- Numerical Simulation of Dynamics of Quasispherical Metallic Liner.- A Conceptual Design for an Imploding-Liner Fusion Reactor.- Stabilization Concepts of Imploding Liquid Metal Liner.- Modeling of LINUS-Type Stabilized Liner Implosions.- Megagauss Field Generation.- Megagauss Fields Produced with Small Explosive Charges.- Investigation of Capabilities of Magneto-Cumulative Megagauss Magnetic Field Generation.- Production of Megagauss Fields by Compression of Magnetic Flux by a Metallic Liner.- Megagauss Magnetic Field Production in Small Volumes.- On a Novel Scheme for the Generation of Megagauss Fields.- Superhigh Magnetic Field Generation by a Cumulating Liner and Magnetopressed Discharge.- Experimental and Computational Study of Axial Magnetic Field Compression by Cylindrical Plasma Liners.- Applications of Ultrahigh Magnetic Field Techniques.- Abstract of Report of the Panel on High Magnetic Field Research and Facilities.- Design, Performance and Use of a Near Megagauss Pulsed Machine.- Experimental Research onExplosive-Driven Magnetic Generator Performance with Resistive-Inductive Load.- Megagauss Fields and Current Pattern in Focussed Discharges.- Application of Strong Magnetic Fields for the Acceleration of Charged Particles.- Magnetocumulative Generator Systems.- Magnetic Cumulation Generator Parameters and Means to Improve Them.- A Multiwire Helical Magnetic Cumulation Generator.- Formation and Transmission of Magnetic Cumulation Generators Electromagnetic Energy Pulses.- Transformer Energy Output Magnetic Cumulation Generators.- Reproducible Generation of Multimegagauss Magnetic Fields.- High Inductance Explosive Magnetic Generators with High Energy Multiplication.- Generation of the Magnetic Flux by Multicascade Capture.- Ultimate Capacities of Transformer Method of Energy Transfer from Explosive Magnetic Generator to Inductive Load.- Study of Basic Regularities of Formation of Multi-MA-Current Pulses with Short Risetime by EMG Circuit Interruption.- Addresses of Author Organizations.- Author Index.