Abstract
We present data from the first Z-pinch experiments aiming to simulate aspects of accretion disk physics in the laboratory. Using off axis ablation flows from a wire array z-pinch we demonstrate the formation of a supersonically (M ∼ 2) rotating hollow plasma cylinder of height ∼4mm and radius 2 mm. Using a combination of diagnostics we measure the rotation speed (∼60kms−1), electron density (1019cm−3), ion temperature (Ti ∼ 60eV) and the product of electron temperature and average ionisation (ZTe ∼ 150 to 200 eV). Using these parameters we calculate the Reynolds number for the plasma on the order 105 and magnetic Reynolds number as 10 – 100. The plasma flow is maintained for 150ns, corresponding to one rotation period, which should allow for studying fast instabilities which develop on this time-scale.
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