Part 3 of 6 Parts (Please read Parts 1 and 2 first)
     The physicals principles of dense plasma focus have been well understood for decades. They have been demonstrated in many experiments since the 1970s. The experiments have shown an amazing complexity of phenomena in DPF discharges. They are characterized by self-organization and the formation of highly energy-dense structures.
     The DPF design used by Lerner at LPP Fusion consists of a pair of concentric beryllium electrodes which are four inches long. They are mounted in a chamber that is filled with gaseous fuel at low temperatures. The outer electrode functions as the cathode. It is a ring of slender vertical columns. It has an outside radius of two inches. The inner electrode which functions as the anode is a hollow vertical cylinder about an inch in diameter. The electrodes are connected by a fast switch to a bank of capacitors which are charged to a voltage of forty thousand volts.
     When the switch is thrown, the bank of capacitors sends a very powerful pulse of electricity to the electrodes which causes an electrical discharge shaped like a ring to form between them. At the peak of the discharge, a current of over a million amps flows through the device. Connecting the capacitor bank to the electrodes creates a strong electrical field in the space between the electrodes. The small number of electrons that are not bound to nuclei in the gaseous fuel mixture are accelerated with great force towards the anode. They collide with atoms along the way and cause other electrons to be released.
     Atoms that lose electrons turn into positively charged ions and are accelerated towards the cathode. They also collide with other atoms as they move. Some collide with the cathode and release more electrons. An avalanche of electrons develops in a chain reaction as more and more electrons are knocked loose from atoms, creating more and more free electrons and ions and still more collisions. The gaseous fuel mixture is turned into a very hot, high-energy plasma consisting of free electrons and ions. Most of the matter in the universe consists of plasmas.
     The flows of electrons towards the anode and the ions towards the cathode are electrical currents. Whenever a flow of charged particles occurs, magnetic fields are generated. The magnetic fields act upon the electrons and ions. This can, in turn, result in changes in the pattern of the currents.
     At this point in the process, a mechanism known as the “pinch effect” occurs. The pinch effect provides the key mechanism by which the LPP Fusion DPF device concentrates its energy. In simple terms, the pinch effect refers to the fact that two parallel currents are attracted to each other. The effect is a result of the aforementioned magnetic fields generated by the currents. This means that a plasma carrying strong electrical currents will be “pinched” or compressed at right angles to the direction of the current.
Please read Part 4 next