Abstract
The results of the investigation of the underwater electrical wire explosions using a high power nanosecond timescale generator are reported. The spectroscopic analysis of the emitted radiation has unveiled no evidence for the formation of shunting plasma channel. The latter appears in vacuum and gas wire explosions and causes to the seizure of energy deposition into an exploding wire material. The combination of mechanism for the suppression of formation of shunting channel together with the increased energy deposition rate allow busting the efficiency of energy deposition into the exploding wire. Estimated energy deposition into Cu and Al wire material of up to 200 eV/atom was reported. Careful analysis of the generated shock waves show, that 15 % of the deposited energy is transferred into the mechanical energy of the produced water flow. In addition experiments with converging shock waves produced by underwater explosion of cylindrical wire arrays demonstrated the possibility of producing shock waves with pressure amplitude up to 0.25 Mbar at 0.1 mm distance from the axis of the implosion.
