Variation of high-power aluminum-wire array Z-pinch dynamics with wire number, load mass, and array radius
- Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185 (United States)
A systematic study of annular aluminum-wire z-pinches on the Saturn accelerator shows that the quality of the implosion, (as measured by the radial convergence, the radiated energy, pulse width, and power), increases with wire number. Radiation magnetohydrodynamic (RMHC) xy simulations suggest that the implosion transitions from that of individual wire plasmas to that of a continuous plasma shell when the interwire spacing is reduced below {approx}1.4 mm. In this ''plasma-shell regime,'' many of the global radiation and plasma characteristics are in agreement with those simulated by 2D-RMHC rz simulations. In this regime, measured changes in the radiation pulse width with variations in load mass and array radius are consistent with the simulations and are explained by the development of 2D fluid motion in the rz plane. Associated variations in the K-shell yield are qualitatively explained by simple radiation-scaling models.
- OSTI ID:
- 21172384
- Journal Information:
- AIP Conference Proceedings, Journal Name: AIP Conference Proceedings Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 409; ISSN 0094-243X; ISSN APCPCS
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Variation of high-power aluminum-wire array Z-pinch dynamics with wire number, load mass, and array radius
Variation of high-power aluminum-wire array Z-pinch dynamics with wire number, array radius, and load mass