Stability of Magnetically Implode Liners for High Energy Density Experiments
- Los Alamos National Laboratory
Magnetically imploded cylindrical metal shells (z-pinch liners) are attractive drivers for a wide variety of hydrodynamics and material properties experiments. The ultimate utility of liners depends on the acceleration of near-solid density shells to velocities exceeding 20 km/sec with good azimuthal symmetry and axial uniformity. Two pulse power systems (Ranchero and Atlas) currently operational or under development at Los Alamos provide electrical energy adequate to accelerate {approximately}50 gr. liners to 1-2 MJ/cm kinetic energy. As in all z-pinches, the outer surface of a magnetically imploded liner is unstable to magneto-Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) modes during acceleration. Large-scale distortion in the liners from RT modes growing from glide plane interactions or initial imperfections could make liners unusable for man experiments. On the other hand, material strength in the liner should, from first principles, reduce the growth rate of RT modes - and can render some combinations of wavelength and amplitude analytically stable. The growth of instabilities in both soft aluminum liners and in high strength aluminum alloy liners has been studied analytically, computationally and experimentally at liner kinetic energies up to 100 KJ/cm on the Pegasus capacitor bank using driving currents up to 12 MA.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Lab., NM (US)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Defense Programs (DP) (US)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 759427
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-98-4624
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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