Long implosion time tungsten wire array Z pinches on the Saturn generator

Abstract

Recent success on the Saturn [C. Deeney et al., Phys. Rev. E 56, 5945 (1997)] and Z [R. B. Spielman et al., Phys. Plasmas 5, 2105 (1998)] accelerators at Sandia National Laboratories have demonstrated the ability to scale Z-pinch parameters to increasingly larger current pulsed power facilities. Next generation machines will require even larger currents (>20 MA), placing further demands on pulsed power technology. To this end, experiments have been carried out on Saturn operating in a long pulse mode, investigating the potential of lower voltages and longer implosion times while still maintaining pinch fidelity. High wire number, 25 mm diam tungsten arrays were imploded with implosion times ranging from 130 to 240 ns. The results were comparable to those observed in the Saturn short pulse mode, with rise times on the order of 4.5–6.5 ns. Experimental data will be presented, along with two-dimensional radiation magnetohydrodynamic simulations used to explain and reproduce the experiment.