Scaling Factor of the Operating Parameters of Z-Pinch Liners

Abstract

Imploding plasma liners in the Z-pinch scheme have been demonstrated to be capable of producing high power radiation in the soft x-ray waveband owing to the conversion of the kinetic energy of imploding liner into thermal energy which in turn is converted into x-ray energy. To obtain largest x-ray power for a certain pulsed-power driving-source, the liner should gain a kinetic energy as great as possible, which imposes an optimal scaling upon the operating parameters of liner in terms of getting largest kinetic energy. This work exposes, by means of numerical calculations based on zero-dimensional quasi-plasma-shell model, the large variation of the scaling factor, which connects the parameters of the initial linear and the driving current, with different driving current waveforms. Also solved in the work is the optimal scaling factor in the sense of producing maximum kinetic energy. Calculations show that maximum kinetic energy is obtained at the current maximum or a little time later. These results are in reasonable agreement with several experiments and will be of help to the design and experimental adjustment of Z-pinch liners.