Electric Field Effect on Electric Probe Operating in Plasma Focus Device

Plasma Focus Device (PFD) has been investigated by many researchers because of its capability as a source of radiation including ions in many applications. However, the investigation and characterization of plasma, ions and radiation are difficult and challenging due to the short pulse duration and harsh electrical environment during the operation of the device. Many researchers used electric probe to measure ions generated by the device and found that high energy ions can be generated by PFD. This work investigates the sensitivity of electric probe to variation of strong electric field produced by 2.3 kJ PFD. The results obtained by simulation are compared with actual experimental results. The results show that, the electric field generated in the PFD can severely affect signal of the electric probe that is operated without proper grounding around the probe as it induces sufficient current within the probe. This can lead to misinterpretation of ion signal or photoelectric signal detected from PFD especially during the focusing phase.