View source for MAGPIE

{{For|the land and water-use model|MAgPIE}}
'''MAGPIE'''<ref name=mitchell1/> (''Mega Ampere Generator for Plasma Implosion Experiments'') is a [[pulsed power]] generator based at [[Imperial College London]], United Kingdom. The generator was originally designed to produce a current pulse with a maximum of 1.8 million [[ampere]]s in 240 nanoseconds (150 nanoseconds rise time). At present the machine is operated with a maximum current of approximately 1.4 million amperes and operates as a [[z-pinch]] facility.

The generator consists of four voltage multipliers ([[Marx generator]]s), each one containing 24 capacitors. At the maximum charging voltage of 100 kilo-volts, an output voltage of 2.4 million volts is produced and delivered into the load section.<ref>{{cite conference |title=The MAGPIE Generator |last1=Mitchell |first1=I.H. |first2=J.M. |last2=Bayley |first3=J.P. |last3=Chittenden |first4=P. |last4=Choi |first5=J.F. |last5=Worley |first6=A.E. |last6=Dangor |first7=M.G. |last7=Haines |book-title=AIP Conference Proceedings |volume=299 |number=486 |year=1994 |doi=10.1063/1.2949195}}{{subscription required}}</ref> The pulses have a rise time of 150 ns and can be delivered in a high impedance load through a 1.25 Ω final line impedance.<ref name=mitchell1>{{cite conference |title=A high impedance mega-ampere generator for fiber z-pinch experiments |first1=I.H. |last1=Mitchell |first2=J.M. |last2=Bayley |first3=J.P. |last3=Chittenden |first4=J.F. |last4=Worley |first5=A.E. |last5=Dangor |first6=M.G. |last6=Haines |book-title=Review of Scientific Instruments |volume=67 |number=1533 |year=1996 |doi=10.1063/1.1146884}}{{subscription required}}</ref>


Research at the MAGPIE generator has focused in the past on the field of [[inertial confinement fusion]], but has recently seen significant adaptations for studies of Laboratory Astrophysics. In particular, the study of astrophysical jets in young stellar objects (see [[Herbig–Haro object]]) has been motivated by improved observational capabilities in the recent years.<ref>Suzuki-Vidal, F. A., "Experimental study of radiatively cooled magnetically driven plasma jets", PhD Thesis, Imperial College London,2009.</ref> The simulation of such large-scale events has been undertaken at MAGPIE both from a computational point of view, through the ''GORGON'' code, and from an experimental one by means of the generator.<ref>Remington, B.A., Drake, R.P., Ryutov, D.D , "Experimental astrophysics with high power lasers and Z pinches", ''Reviews of Modern Physics'', Vol. 78, pp.782-784, July–September 2006.</ref>

MAGPIE is one of several similar ''pulsed power'' machines worldwide, of which the largest and most powerful is the [[Z Pulsed Power Facility|Z-machine]] at [[Sandia National Laboratories]], Albuquerque, New Mexico.<ref>[http://www.sandia.gov/z-machine/ Z machine homepage], Sandia National Laboratories</ref>

==References==

<references/>

==External links==
*[https://www.imperial.ac.uk/plasma-physics/magpie/ MAGPIE pulsed-power generator website at Imperial College London]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Magpie}}
[[Category:Electrical generators]]
[[Category:Plasma physics facilities]]