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Radiation energetics of ICF-relevant wire-array Z pinches.
D B Sinars1, R W Lemke, M E Cuneo
1Sandia National Laboratories, PO Box 5800, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|June 4, 2008
Summary
Short-implosion-time wire-array Z-pinch experiments achieved high x-ray powers even with reduced current. New data reveals imploding mass density profiles, aiding Z-pinch simulation model refinement.
Area of Science:
- Plasma physics
- Pulsed power science
- X-ray generation
Background:
- Wire-array Z-pinches are crucial for generating high-power X-rays.
- Understanding implosion dynamics is key to optimizing X-ray output.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of reduced peak current on X-ray power in short-implosion-time wire arrays.
- To analyze the magnetic field convergence and implosion dynamics.
- To measure the imploding mass density profile for improved simulation.
Main Methods:
- Utilized 20-mm diameter, 300-wire tungsten arrays with short implosion times.
- Conducted experiments with and without an on-axis rod to study radiation pulse formation.
- Employed diagnostics to measure X-ray power and imploding mass density.
Main Results:
- High peak X-ray powers were maintained despite a decrease in peak current from 19 to 13 MA.
- Observed j x B work explains the main radiation pulse with an on-axis rod.
- Bare-axis tests indicated a need for sub-millimeter magnetic field convergence for significant X-ray emission.
- Provided the first measurement of the imploding mass density profile in a wire-array Z pinch.
Conclusions:
- Short-implosion-time wire-array Z-pinches are robust to current reduction regarding peak X-ray power.
- Magnetic field convergence is critical for efficient X-ray generation, especially in bare-axis configurations.
- The measured mass density profile offers valuable data for validating and improving Z-pinch simulation models.
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