Hybrid simulation of the Z-pinch instabilities for profiles generated in the process of wire array implosion in the Saturn pulsed power generator.
- Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Prague, Czech Republic
- University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
- University of Nevada at Reno, Reno, NV
Experimental evidence suggests that the energy balance between processes in play during wire array implosions is not well understood. In fact the radiative yields can exceed by several times the implosion kinetic energy. A possible explanation is that the coupling from magnetic energy to kinetic energy as magnetohydrodynamic plasma instabilities develop provides additional energy. It is thus important to model the instabilities produced in the after implosion stage of the wire array in order to determine how the stored magnetic energy can be connected with the radiative yields. To this aim three-dimensional hybrid simulations have been performed. They are initialized with plasma radial density profiles, deduced in recent experiments [C. Deeney et al., Phys. Plasmas 6, 3576 (1999)] that exhibited large x-ray yields, together with the corresponding magnetic field profiles. Unlike previous work, these profiles do not satisfy pressure balance and differ substantially from those of a Bennett equilibrium. They result in faster growth with an associated transfer of magnetic energy to plasma motion and hence kinetic energy.
- Research Organization:
- Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), Albuquerque, NM, and Livermore, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-94AL85000
- OSTI ID:
- 990957
- Report Number(s):
- SAND2005-1165J; TRN: US1007413
- Journal Information:
- Proposed for publication in Physics of Plasma., Vol. 12, Issue 9
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Long implosion time tungsten wire array Z pinches on the Saturn generator
Implosion dynamics and x-ray generation in small-diameter wire-array Z pinches