Systems and methods for compressing plasma

An apparatus for compressing plasma, the apparatus comprising:

• a plasma gun configured to generate a compact toroid of plasma;
• a plasma accelerator having a first end, a second end, and a longitudinal axis between the first end and the second end, the plasma accelerator configured to receive the compact toroid at the first end and to accelerate the compact toroid along the longitudinal axis toward the second end;
• a liquid funnel system comprising a liquid funnel having a substantially cylindrical passage substantially aligned with the longitudinal axis of the plasma accelerator, the passage having a first inner diameter at a top end of the passage and a second inner diameter at a bottom end of the passage, the second inner diameter less than the first inner diameter, the liquid funnel system configured to receive the compact toroid from the second end of the plasma accelerator and to compress the compact toroid as the compact toroid moves along the passage from the top end toward the bottom end;
• and
• a plasma restrictor located near the first end of the plasma accelerator, the plasma restrictor configured to inhibit movement of the compact toroid from above the location of the restrictor to below the location of the restrictor until a magnetic field strength of the plasma accelerator exceeds a threshold value,
• wherein the system is configured such that a pressure of the compact toroid when below the top end is greater than a pressure of the compact toroid when above the top end.