Nanosecond electric explosion of wires: from solid superheating to nonideal plasma formation

Abstract

The conception is developed which distinguishes initial stages of the fast (nanosecond) electric explosion of wires: the superheating of the solid conductor, its spontaneous (spinodal) decay and the successive formation of the nonideal plasma column. The molecular dynamics simulation approach is used to simulate homogeneous nucleation at a constant heating rate. The subsequent evolution of the fluid column and the axial plasma uniformity are considered. The results are compared with the experimental data on nanosecond wire explosions.

Standards for molecular dynamics modelling and simulation of relaxation

“…The process of the relaxation in the case of the superheated crystal decay is connected with homogeneous nucleation that allows to apply the formalism of the classical nucleation theory (see [17,18] for details).…”

Excited States of Warm Dense Matter

“…It is very easy to create the WDM. It can be made with the help of a IR, a visible or a UF lasers (see, for example, [7][8][9][10][11]), a fast ion beam or even a single fast ion (see, for example, [12][13][14]), an nanosecond electric explosion of wires (see, for example, [4]) and explosions of tips (protrusion, whisker) on cathode surface [15].…”

“…WDM nanochannel is formed at propagation of a fast single ion through condensed matter [3]. Great amount of deposited energy in nanosecond exploding wires is suggested to explain by creation of strongly nonequilibrium solid-state-density plasma [4]. Similarity and diversity of WDM states produced are discussed in this work.…”

Standard of Molecular Dynamics Modeling and Simulation of Relaxation in Dense Media

“…The process of the relaxation in the case of the superheated crystal decay is connected with homogeneous nucleation that allows to apply the formalism of the classical nucleation theory (see [20,6] …”

“…In this connection we would mention studies of melting front velocity [1], damping oscillation regime in one-component nonideal plasmas [2], relaxation to equilibrium in two-component two-temperature nonideal plasmas [3,4], recombination relaxation in ultracold plasmas [5], spontaneous decay of a superheated crystal [6], relaxation of SH radical in solid krypton [7], equilibration and sampling of a biomolecule [8], protein folding [9], relaxation in shock wave front [10].…”