Simulating plasma deflagration in coaxial plasma guns with a reacting four fluid model

The Zap Energy sheared-flow-stabilized Z-pinch concept relies on a coaxial plasma gun to ionize, heat, and accelerate the plasma that forms the pinch in the assembly region. Coaxial plasma guns have two operational modes: detonation and deflagration. Detonation wave speeds are uniquely determined by current, inductance per unit length, and the mass distribution. Deflagration wave speeds, on the other hand, are indeterminate and depend on the thermal expansion of the ionization front. In order to better understand and predict the deflagration mode of operation of a coaxial plasma gun, a multi-fluid (electron, ion, atom, molecule) reacting plasma-neutral model is implemented in the WARPXM computational framework. The reacting fluid model is used to simulate a one-dimensional plasma accelerator with various initial distributions of molecular deuterium.