We investigate the fundamental phenomena of magnetic-field flux and magnetized plasma compression by plasma implosion. In the experiment, we employ a cylindrical configuration, in which an initial axial quasi-static magnetic flux B_z (up to 0.4 T) is pre-embedded in an argon gas column. A high-power electric discharge (300 kA, rise time 1.6 µs) then ionizes the gas and generates an azimuthal magnetic field creating a pressure that compresses the plasma inward together with the axial magnetic field embedded in it. In this talk, non-invasive spectroscopic measurements of the azimuthal magnetic field (B_ϴ) evolution will be presented.

Systematic measurements, performed for different initial B_z, show that with increasing initial values of B_z less current is flowing through the imploding Ar plasma shell. For B_z (t = 0) = 0.4 T, only ~ ¼ of the current is flowing through the imploding Ar plasma. Measurements at larger radii, outside the imploding shell, reveal that in the presence of B_z, most of the current flows through a surrounding dilute plasma that is not imploded.