Generation of sub-Mbar pressure by converging shock waves produced by the underwater electrical explosion of a wire array.

We report a demonstration of a generation of sub-Mbar pressure on the axis of the implosion wave produced by an underwater electrical explosion of a cylindrical wire array. The array was exploded by microsecond time scale discharge of a capacitor bank having a stored energy of 4.5 kJ and discharge current amplitude of up to 90 kA. Optical diagnostics were used to determine the time of flight and the trajectory of the converging shock wave. This data were applied for a calculation of the water flow parameters using one-dimensional (1D) and 2D hydrodynamic calculations and the Whitham method. All three methods have shown that the shock wave pressure at 0.1 mm from the axis reaches .