One of the techniques by which highly ionized plasmas can be generated in the laboratory makes use of strong, electromagnetically driven shock waves propagating into a cold gas. In this paper the phenomenon is analyzed as a one-dimensional single-fluid hydromagnetic problem, neglecting dissipation behind the wave.

Experiments with a simple pulsed magnetic field in cusped geometry are described. The plasma is generated inside the containment region rather than injected from an external source. It was found that creation of the plasma by a linear pinch discharge is most successful. Only qualitative studies have been carried out so far, using time-resolved visual observation of the plasma. Well-defined plasma bodies located in the central region between the cells were photographed. In order to make them clearly visible, a few percent of argon was added to the hydrogen.

Plus-minus ratios for pion production by 340-Mev proton bombardment were measured at 13 Mev, 18 Mev, and 42 Mev with the use of the spiral orbit spectrometer.