Studying scaling physics of the MagLIF platform on the Z accelerator facility

Magneto-inertial fusion (MIF) concepts, such as the Magnetized Liner Inertial Fusion (MagLIF) platform [Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 155003 (2014)], constitute a promising avenue for achieving ignition and significant fusion yields in the laboratory.  A theoretical framework [Phys. Plasmas 27, 062707 (2020)] was recently developed to self-similarly scale MagLIF targets to larger, more powerful pulsed-power drivers while not significantly deviating from the physical regimes studied on the present-day Z accelerator facility.  This framework is based on identifying the key dimensionless quantities describing a MagLIF system and scaling the MagLIF experimental parameters to preserve such quantities to the furthest extent possible.  The theory determines the scaling rules for the MagLIF experimental parameters and performance metrics as functions of peak current I_max.  Based on this approach, in the upcoming years, we shall study MagLIF scaling physics on the Z facility within the 12-20 MA peak-current range.  In this talk, we review the proposed multi-year experimental plan, and we compare pre-shot HYDRA simulations to predictions of the theoretical model.  HYDRA simulations demonstrate scaling that is consistent with the theoretical results for a variety of performance metrics.