Inner/outer coaxial tube arrangement for a plasma pinch chamber

A method of containing plasma, said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing an outer tube having a wall with an inner face;
• (b) providing an inner tube having a wall with an inner face and an outer face, said inner tube within and coaxial with said outer tube;
• (c) providing an outer gas contained between said inner face of said wall of said outer tube and said outer face of said wall of said inner tube;
• and
• (d) providing a working gas contained within said inner tube, said working gas capable of forming the plasma;
• said outer gas being pressurized so as to subject said wall of said inner tube with pressure sufficient to enable said inner tube to contain the plasma therewithin.

In a plasma pinch assembly for containing plasma, the plasma pinch assembly having a chamber formed of chamber material with an inner face and an outer face, the chamber having a diameter DCH, the chamber material having a thickness TCH, the chamber so dimensioned capable of containing plasma, the improvement comprising:

• (a) an inner tube formed of the chamber material with an inner face and an outer face, said inner tube having a diameter DT, wherein DT<DCH, the chamber material of said inner tube having the thickness TCH, said inner tube within and coaxial with the chamber;
• (b) an outer gas contained between the inner face of the chamber and said outer face of said inner tube;
• and
• (c) a working gas contained within said inner tube, said working gas capable of forming plasma;
• said outer gas being pressurized so as to subject said inner tube with pressure sufficient to enable said inner tube to contain plasma therewithin;
• wherein without said pressurized outer gas, said inner tube is not capable of containing plasma due to structural failure of said inner tube.