Features of the Use of Plasma Focus Installations in Radiation and Space Materials Science

The features of the use of Plasma Focus (PF) devices in the field of radiation and space materials science related to the specific generation of several types of radiation in the working chambers of the PF are considered. It is noted that the main role in the damage and modification of the structural state of the surface layers of materials irradiated in the cathode zone of the PF working chamber is played by powerful pulsed beams of working gas ions and flows of high-temperature plasma in the nano- and microsecond range of pulse duration. It is shown that, in addition to the common combined beam-plasma effect on a target sample, PF installations allow the possibility of separate irradiation of the target material with ion and plasma flows. Three methods for separating pulsed flows of hot plasma and fast ions in space and time in a PF installation, described in the literature, are presented. It is noted that PF installations are a promising tool for solving fundamental and applied problems in radiation and space materials science, including for simulation experiments focused on problems of thermonuclear energy and aerospace engineering. It is also indicated that hard X-ray pulses with a duration in the nanosecond range, arising from pulsed discharges in the PF chamber, can be used for diagnosing fast processes, in particular, for nondestructive flaw detection of machines and mechanisms during their operation.