The first controlled experiments measuring the growth of the magneto-Rayleigh-Taylor instability in fast (∼100  ns) Z-pinch plasmas are reported. Sinusoidal perturbations on the surface of an initially solid Al tube (liner) with wavelengths of 25-400  μm were used to seed the instability. Radiographs with 15  μm resolution captured the evolution of the outer liner surface. Comparisons with numerical radiation magnetohydrodynamic simulations show remarkably good agreement down to 50  μm wavelengths.

Wire array z-pinches have been used successfully for many years as a powerful x-ray source, as a dynamic hohlraum, and as an intense K-shell radiation source. Significant progress has been made in the effective modeling of these three-dimensional ͑3D͒ resistive plasmas. However, successful modeling also requires an accurate representation of the power delivered to these loads from the generator, which is an uncertainty potentially as large as the magnetohydrodynamic ͑MHD͒ implosion dynamics. We present 3D resistive MHD simulations of wire arrays that are coupled to transmission line equivalent models of the Z generator, driven by voltage sources derived directly from electrical measurements. Significant ͑multi-mega-ampère͒ current losses are shown to occur in both the convolute and the final feed. This limits the array performance and must be correctly accounted for to accurately represent the generator response to the load. Our simulations are validated against data for compact: 20 mm diameter, 10 mm long wire arrays that have produced the highest x-ray power densities on Z. This is one of the most comprehensive experimental data sets for single and nested wire arrays and includes voltage, current, x-ray power and energy, and multiple mass distribution measurements. These data tightly constrain our simulation results and allow us to describe in detail both the implosion and stagnation, and how energy is delivered to, and radiated from z-pinch loads. We show that the radiated power is consistent with the kinetic energy delivered to a distributed 3D mass profile over its implosion and stagnation. We also demonstrate how the local inductance of the transmission line connecting to the wire array is responsible for delivering more than 50% of the total radiated power. This makes the power output dependent on the design of specific elements of the generator, and their response to the imploding load, and not just on the peak current that can be delivered.

A recent publication [D. B. Sinars et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 185001 (2010)] describes the first controlled experiments measuring the growth of the magneto-Rayleigh–Taylor instability in fast (∼100 ns) Z-pinch plasmas formed from initially solid aluminum tubes (liners). Sinusoidal perturbations on the surface of these liners with wavelengths of 25–400 μm were used to seed single-mode instabilities. The evolution of the outer liner surface was captured using multiframe 6.151 keV radiography. The initial paper shows that there is good agreement between the data and 2-D radiation magneto-hydrodynamic simulations down to 50 μm wavelengths. This paper extends the previous one by providing more detailed radiography images, detailed target characterization data, a more accurate comparison to analytic models for the amplitude growth, the first data from a beryllium liner, and comparisons between the data and 3D simulations.

No abstract

The radiation and shock generated by impact of an annular tungsten Z-pinch plasma on a 10-mm diam 5-mg/cc CH(2) foam are diagnosed with x-ray imaging and power measurements. The radiative shock was virtually unaffected by Z-pinch plasma instabilities. The 5-ns-duration approximately 135-eV radiation field imploded a 2.1-mm-diam CH capsule. The measured radiation temperature, shock radius, and capsule radius agreed well with computer simulations, indicating understanding of the main features of a Z-pinch dynamic-hohlraum-driven capsule implosion.