Effect of an axial magnetic field on stabilization of magneto-Rayleigh-Taylor Instability in gas-puff Z-pinches

ORAL

Abstract

In imploding Z-pinches, the magneto-Rayleigh-Taylor (MRT) instability is potentially disruptive to the pinch stability. It has been demonstrated that multi-shell Z-pinch loads or an externally-applied axial magnetic field can mitigate MRT instability1. We present an analysis on the stability of Staged Z-pinch (SZP) 2 implosions, where high Z liner (Argon or Krypton gas) is used on a target (deuterium gas).Experiments were carried out on the Zebra generator (1 MA, 100 ns) at the University of Nevada, Reno.The data shows that an external axial magnetic field Bz of the order of 0.15 T does not noticeably affect the implosion trajectories, however it significantly reduces the average instability amplitude. Spectral analysis of the XUV images indicate that MRT modes with wavelength λ = 0.7–1.2 mm, dominant in the case Bz = 0, are stabilized if Bz = 0.15 T is applied. A detailed analysis of pinch dynamics will be presented.

J. Giuliani, and R. Commisso. “A Review of the Gas-Puff Z-Pinch as an X-Ray and Neutron Source”. IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci. 43, 2385 (2015).

  1. H. U. Rahman, F. J. Wessel, and N. Rostoker. “Staged Z Pinch”. Phys. Rev. Lett. 74, 714 (1995).

*This work is funded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy, under grant number DE-AR0000569

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Presenters

  • Farhat N Beg

    • Univ of California - San Diego
    • Center for Energy Research, University of California, San Diego
    • UC San Diego
    • University of California, San Diego

Authors

  • Farhat N Beg

    • Univ of California - San Diego
    • Center for Energy Research, University of California, San Diego
    • UC San Diego
    • University of California, San Diego

  • Fabio Conti

    • Center for Energy Research, University of California, San Diego
    • Univ of California - San Diego
    • University of California, San Diego

  • Julio Valenzuela

    • Center for Energy Research, University of California, San Diego
    • Univ of California - San Diego
    • University of California, San Diego

  • Nicholas Aybar

    • Center for Energy Research, University of California, San Diego
    • Univ of California - San Diego
    • UC San Diego
    • University of California, San Diego

  • Jeff Narkis

    • Center for Energy Research, University of California, San Diego
    • Univ of California - San Diego
    • University of California, San Diego

  • Emil Ruskov

    • Magneto-Inertial Fusion Technologies, Inc

  • Aaron Covington

    • Univ of Nevada - Reno

  • Hafiz ur Rahman

    • Magneto-Inertial Fusion Technologies, Inc
    • Magneto-Inertial Fusion Technology Inc.
    • Magneto-Inertial Fusion Technologies, Inc.