Abstract

A theoretical investigation of the dynamics of plasma discharge, excited by the fast 6 ns full width at half maximum current pulse with 4.5 kA peak in a 0.8 mm diameter channel inside an alumina capillary filled with Ar, is performed by computer simulation. A one-dimensional two-temperature magnetohydrodynamic model that takes into account plasma dynamics as well as the ablation of the wall material under the heat flux from the plasma has been explored. Simulations for Ar initial pressures of 100-500 mTorr show that a hot dense uniform plasma core is formed at the centre of the discharge channel. The parameters of this core are favourable for soft x-ray lasing at 46.9 nm due to the generation of population inversion in the plasma by the collisional electron excitation of Ne-like Ar IX ions.