The aims of ICDMP are:

  • to carry out the advanced fundamental investigations in the domain of a dense magnetized plasma
  • to realize research programs aimed at application of plasma technologies and utilization of emitted by a plasma soft- and hard X - ray, ions and neutrons in industry, medicine, biology etc.
  • to teach and train young scientific workers in performing experimental investigations with the use of modern and complex apparatus under the supervision of experienced scientists from various countries.

Starting from 1999 the ICDMP research team organizes, coordinates and carries out experimental and theoretical studies in the frames of one general theme: "DENSE MAGNETIZED PLASMAS A SOURCE OF INTENSE IONIZING RADIATION". The following particular problems are included here:

  1. Neutron emission from a self-pinched PF-plasma column. PF-1000, currently the largest PF device in the world, gives opportunity to achieve about 1012 neutrons per shot and to prove experimental scaling law for neutron production as a function of the discharge current. In the year 2000 these investigations were co-financed by the US Air-Force Research Institute (Albuquerque).
  2. Emission of hard and soft X-rays during a PF-discharge, which is measured by semiconductor detectors and spectrometers. The X-ray output can be optimized by using noble gases admixtures. X-ray radiation can be utilized in medicine (diagnostics and therapy), lithography, dynamic defectoscopy of fast rotating elements etc.
  3. Emission of fast ions and its application to short-lived radio-isotopes production, which can be utilized in Positron Emission Tomography (PET). In the year 2000 a carbon target was irradiated on a small PF-150 device and production of 13C radionuclides of total of 105 Bq was evidenced.
  4. Investigation of possibilities of achieving the population inversion states in the excited atoms inside the plasma (in soft XUV range) with the aim to generate effectively the lasing medium. In a series of shots on PF-1000 with a thin wire on axis it was observed that X-ray emission along the wire was higher than the emission in the direction perpendicular to the wire axis.
  5. Theoretical studies include:
    1. computer modeling of plasma dynamics in PF- and Z-pinch discharges and also in solar plasma, is based on 2D MHD computer codes developed at IPPLM,
    2. studies of interaction of the super-intense electromagnetic waves with plasma,
    3. computer modeling of breakdown phenomena in gases under low pressure.

In the years 1999-2001 the following scientific workers came to IPPLM in Warsaw and joined to the ICDMP research team: 12 young scientists stayed during various time periods (from 1 to 9 month per person) from 7 countries (Russia, Czech Republic, India, Georgia, Egypt, Argentina, Mauritania) and besides 9 students from Polytechnic Institute in Prague stayed 1-3 weeks. In experimental "sessions" on PF-1000 device scientists from Italy, Germany, Rumania and Estonia have taken part and realized their own research program in common experiments. Names of these scientists can be found as co-authors in various papers.

The scientific objective of the International Centre for Dense Magnetised Plasma (ICDMP) is to make significant progress in the understanding of one of the simplest schemes so-called Z-pinch configurations. From previous experience Plasma-Focus devices, which belong to this configuration, offer the possibility of studying a number of high-current plasma phenomena. The geometry of the device offers also very good possibilities for the simultaneous use of many diagnostic techniques which are essential to comprehension of the phenomena occurring in the experiment.