Enhancement of X-Ray Power from a<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mml:mi mathvariant="italic">Z</mml:mi></mml:math>Pinch Using Nested-Wire Arrays

Abstract

Nested-wire arrays on the 20-MA $Z$-pinch accelerator have produced x-ray powers up to $280\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}40\mathrm{TW}$ (a $40%$ increase over a single array) and an x-ray pulse width of 4 ns. The short x-ray pulse widths are associated with the formation of tight (1-mm-diameter), uniform pinches at stagnation. Two-dimensional radiation magnetohydrodynamic calculations suggest that the inner array mitigates the growth of implosion instabilities thereby leading to smaller diameter pinches that radiate at higher power than single-wire arrays.