Mitigation of magneto-Rayleigh-Taylor instability growth in a triple-nozzle, neutron-producing gas-puff Z pinch

Narkis, Jeff; Conti, Fabio; Velikovich, A. L.; Beg, F. N.

doi:10.1103/physreve.104.l023201

Mitigation of magneto-Rayleigh-Taylor instability growth in a triple-nozzle, neutron-producing gas-puff Z pinch

Journal Article · Thu Aug 12 00:00:00 EDT 2021 · Physical Review. E

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/physreve.104.l023201· OSTI ID:1850369

^[1]; ^[2]; Velikovich, A. L. ^[3]; Beg, F. N. ^[2]

Univ. of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States); OSTI
Univ. of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States)
Naval Research Lab. (NRL), Washington, DC (United States)

The gas-puff Z-pinch is a well-known source of x-rays and/or neutrons, but it is highly susceptible to the magneto-Rayleigh-Taylor instability (MRTI). Approaches to MRTI mitigation include density profile tailoring, in which nozzles are added or modified to alter the acceleration trajectory, and axial pre-magnetization, in which perturbations are smoothed out via magnetic field line tension. In this work, we present two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations of loads driven by an 850 kA,160 ns driver that suggest these mitigation strategies can be additive. The initial axial magnetic field, B_z0, to stabilize a 2.5-cm-radius Ne gas liner imploding onto an on-axis deuterium target can be reduced from 0.7 T to 0.3 T by adding a second liner with a radius of 1.25 cm. Because MRTI mitigation tends to increasingly lower yield with higher B_z0, the use of a lower field is advantageous. Here, we predict a reduction in yield penalty from > 100× with the single liner to < 10× with a double liner. A premagnetized, triple nozzle gas puff could therefore be an attractive source for intense neutrons or other fusion applications.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Naval Research Lab. (NRL), Washington, DC (United States); Univ. of California, San Diego, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)

Grant/Contract Number:: NA0003278; NA0003842

OSTI ID:: 1850369

Journal Information:: Physical Review. E, Journal Name: Physical Review. E Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 104; ISSN 2470-0045

Publisher:: American Physical Society (APS)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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