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In this paper, a theoretical model is described and demonstrated that serves as a useful tool for understanding K-shell radiating Z-pinch plasma behavior. Such understanding requires a self-consistent solution to the complete nonlocal thermodynamic equilibrium kinetics and radiation transport in order to realistically model opacity effects and the high-temperature state of the plasma. For this purpose, we have incorporated into the MACH2 two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) code [R. E. Peterkin et al., J. Comput. Phys. 140, 148 (1998)] an equation of state, called the tabular collisional radiative equilibrium (TCRE) model [J. W. Thornhill et al., Phys. Plasmas 8, 3480 (2001)], that provides reasonable approximations to the plasma’s opacity state. MACH2 with TCRE is applied toward analyzing the multidimensional implosion behavior that occurred in Decade Quad (DQ) [D. Price et al., Proceedings of the 12th IEEE Pulsed Power Conference, Monterey, CA, edited by C. Stallings and H. Kirbie (IEEE, New York, 1999), p. 489] argon gas puff experiments that employed a 12 cm diameter nozzle with and without a central gas jet on axis. Typical peak drive currents and implosion times in these experiments were ∼6 MA and ∼230 ns. By using Planar Laser Induced Fluorescence measured initial density profiles as input to the calculations, the effect these profiles have on the ability of the pinch to efficiently produce K-shell emission can be analyzed with this combined radiation-MHD model. The calculated results are in agreement with the experimental result that the DQ central-jet configuration is superior to the no-central-jet experiment in terms of producing more K-shell emission. These theoretical results support the contention that the improved operation of the central-jet nozzle is due to the better suppression of instabilities and the higher-density K-shell radiating conditions that the central-jet configuration promotes. When we applied the model toward projecting argon K-shell yield behavior for Sandia National Laboratories’ ZR machine (∼25 MA peak drive currents, ∼100 ns implosion times) [D. McDaniel et al., Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Dense Z-Pinches, Albuquerque, NM, 2002, edited by J. Davis, C. Deeney, and N. R. Pereira (American Institute of Physics, New York, 2002), Vol. 651, p. 23] for experiments that utilize the 12 cm diameter central-jet nozzle configuration, it predicts over 1 MJ of K-shell emission is attainable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Argon gas puffs have produced 330 ° 69% of x-ray radiation above 3 keV photon energy in fast z-pinch implosions, with remarkably reproducible K-shell spectra and power pulses. This reproducibility in x-ray production is particularly significant in light of the variations in instability evolution observed between experiments. Soft x-ray power measurements and K-shell line ratios from a time-resolved spectrum at peak x-ray power suggest that plasma gradients in these high-mass pinches may limit the K-shell radiating mass, K-shell power, and K-shell yield from high-current gas puffs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Imploding wire arrays on the 20 MA Z generator have recently provided some of the most powerful and energetic laboratory sources of multi-keV photons, including ~375 kJ of Al K-shell emission (hν ~1-2 keV), ~80 kJ of stainless steel K-shell emission (hν ~5-9 keV) and a kJ-level of Mo K-shell emission (hν ~17 keV). While the global implosion dynamics of these different wire arrays are very similar, the physical process that dominates the emission from these x-ray sources fall into three broad categories. Al wire arrays produce a column of plasma with densities up to ~3 × 1021 ions/cm3, where opacity inhibits the escape of K-shell photons. Significant structure from instabilities can reduce the density and increase the surface area, therefore increase the K-shell emission. In contrast, stainless steel wire arrays operate in a regime where achieving a high pinch temperature (achieved by thermalizing a high implosion kinetic energy) is critical and, while opacity is present, it has less impact on the pinch emissivity. At higher photon energies, line emission associated with inner shell ionization due to energetic electrons becomes important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The difference between the ion thermal and effective temperatures is investigated through simulations of the Ne gas puff z-pinch reported by Kroupp et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 105001 (2011)]. Calculations are performed using a 2D, radiation-magnetohydrodynamic code with Tabular Collisional-Radiative Equilibrium, namely Mach2-TCRE [Thornhill et al., Phys. Plasmas 8, 3480 (2001)]. The extensive data set of imaging and K-shell spectroscopy from the experiments provides a challenging validation test for z-pinch simulations. Synthetic visible images of the implosion phase match the observed large scale structure if the breakdown occurs at the density corresponding to the Paschen minimum. At the beginning of stagnation (-4 ns), computed plasma conditions change rapidly showing a rising electron density and a peak in the ion thermal temperature of ~1.8 keV. This is larger than the ion thermal temperature (<400 eV) inferred from the experiment. By the time of peak K-shell power (0 ns), the calculated electron density is similar to the data and the electron and ion thermal temperatures are equilibrated, as is observed. Effective ion temperatures are obtained from calculated emission line widths accounting for thermal broadening and Doppler velocity shifts. The observed, large effective ion temperatures (~4 keV) early in the stagnation of this Ne pinch can be explained solely as a combination of compressional ion heating and steep radial velocity gradients near the axis. Approximations in the modeling are discussed in regard to the higher ion thermal temperature and lower electron density early in the stagnation compared to the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aluminum wire array z pinches imploded on the Z generator are an extremely bright source of 1-2 keV radiation, with close to 400 kJ radiated at photon energies > 1 keV and more than 50 kJ radiated in a single line (Al Ly-α). Opacity plays a critical role in the dynamics and K-shell radiation efficiency of these pinches. Where significant structure is present in the stagnated pinch this acts to reduce the effective opacity of the system as demonstrated by direct analysis of spectra. Analysis of time-integrated broadband spectra (0.8-25 keV) indicates electron temperatures ranging from a few 100 eV to a few keV are present, indicative of substantial temperature gradients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experiments in the last few years at the 20-MA Z Accelerator have produced significant K-shell X-ray output from a variety of imtial load materials, including aluminum (1.7-keV photons, > 400-kJ yield), argon (3.1-keV photons, > 300-kJ yield), titanium (4.8-keV photons, 100-kJ yield), stainless steel (6.7-keV photons, > 50-kJ yield), and copper (8.4-keV photons, 20-kJ yield). K-shell scaling theories developed at the Naval Research Laboratory [K. G. Whitney et al., Phys. Rev. E 50, 2166 (1994)] in the 1990s were benchmarked against the Al K-shell emission data from < 10-MA facilities. The experiments at Z have not only led to a heuristic validation of this original theory but have also provided the data to fine tune the models for application to higher photon energies and for extension to higher current generators. The upgrade of the Z Accelerator to ZR, which will provide 26 MA to a Z-pinch load, should increase the radiated K-shell output for sources previously fielded at Z and will extend the range of photon energies where measurable radiation can be observed, which is likely up to 13 keV. A summary of the K-shell experiments at Z is presented, as well as an overview of the modified empirical-scaling theory. Proposed load configurations for ZR are discussed, as well as predictions for K-shell output. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experiments on the Z accelerator with deuterium gas-puff implosions have produced up to 3.7×1013 (±20%) neutrons at 2.34 MeV (±0.10 MeV). Although the mechanism for generating these neutrons was not definitively identified, this neutron output is 100 times more than previously observed from neutron-producing experiments at Z. Dopant gases in the deuterium (argon and chlorine) were used to study implosion characteristics and stagnated plasma conditions through x-ray yield measurements and spectroscopy. Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) calculations have suggested that the dopants improved the neutron output through better plasma compression, which has been studied in experiments increasing the dopant fraction. Scaling these experiments, and additional MHD calculations, suggest that ∼5×1014 deuterium-deuterium (DD) neutrons could be generated at the 26-MA refurbished Z facility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A deuterium gas-puff load imploded by a multi-MA current driver from a large initial diameter could be a powerful source of fusion neutrons, a plasma neutron source (PNS). Unlike the beam-target neutrons produced in Z-pinch plasmas in the 1950s and deuterium-fiber experiments in the 1980s, the neutrons generated in deuterium gas-puffs with current levels achieved in recent experiments on the Z facility at Sandia National Laboratories could contain a substantial fraction of thermonuclear origin. For recent deuterium gas-puff shots on Z, our analytic estimates and one- and two-dimensional simulations predict thermal neutron yields ∼3×1013, in fair agreement with the yields recently measured on Z [C. A. Coverdale et al., Phys. Plasmas (to be published)]. It is demonstrated that the hypothesis of a beam-target origin of the observed fusion neutrons implies a very high Z-pinch-driver-to-fast-ions energy transfer efficiency, 5 to 10%, which would make a multi-MA deuterium Z-pinch the most efficient light-ion accelerator. No matter what mechanism is eventually determined to be responsible for generating fusion neutrons in deuterium gas-puff shots on Z, the deuterium neutron yield is shown to scale as Yn∼Im4, where Im is the peak current of the pinch. Theoretical estimates and numerical modeling of deuterium gas-puff implosions demonstrate that the yields of thermonuclear fusion neutrons that can be produced on ZR and the next-generation machines are sufficiently high to make PNS the most powerful, cost- and energy-efficient laboratory sources of 2.5-14 MeV fusion neutrons, just like plasma radiation sources are the most powerful sources of soft and keV x rays. In particular, the predicted deuterium-tritium thermal neutron-producing capability of PNS driven by the next-generation ZR and ZX accelerators is ∼5×1016 and ∼1018, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experiments on the Z accelerator with deuterium gas puff implosions have produced up to 3.9×1013 (±20%) neutrons at 2.34 MeV (±0.10 MeV). Experimentally, the mechanism for generating these neutrons has not been definitively identified through isotropy measurements, but activation diagnostics suggest multiple mechanisms may be responsible. One-, two-, and three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) calculations have indicated that thermonuclear outputs from Z could be expected to be in the (0.3–1.0)×1014 range. X-ray diagnostics of plasma conditions, fielded to look at dopant materials in the deuterium, have shown that the stagnated deuterium plasma achieved electron temperatures of 2.2 keV and ion densities of 2×1020 cm-3, in agreement with the MHD calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A computationally efficient method for transporting radiation in multidimensional plasmas has been developed and evaluated. The basis of this method is a uniform plasma approximation that allows one to utilize existing escape probability techniques that are successfully used in one-dimensional (1D) calculations to approximately solve the multidimensional radiation transport problem. This method is superior to diffusion methods because (1) the probability of escape technique insures that the plasma goes to the correct optically thin and thick limits, (2) the effects of line absorption due to photoexcitations are modeled, and (3) this method uses source functions that are based on a self-consistent nonlocal thermodynamic equilibrium calculation, not an ad hoc assumption that the source functions are Planckian. This method is highly efficient because equation of state information from 1D calculations is tabulated as a function of plasma internal energy, ion density, and the line probability of escape from a uniform plasma, and then used in multidimensional calculations. Given the internal energy and ion density, and by calculating the line probability of escape from a zone of the multidimensional plasma, the equation of state, including emissivities and absorption coefficients, of the zone is determined from the table. Total radiative power, K-shell radiative power, total radiative yield, K-shell radiative yield, and plasma density and temperature profiles obtained from 1D Z-pinch calculations employing this method are in good agreement with the same powers, yields, and profiles calculated using a full radiation transport model. This method has been implemented in the 2D plasma radiating imploding source model code [F. L. Cochran et al., Phys. Plasmas 2, 2765 (1995)] to determine the influence of radiation transport in argon Z-pinch experiments performed on the Z machine [R. B. Spielman et al., Phys. Plasmas 5, 2105 (1998)] at Sandia National Laboratories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Timely estimates of z-pinch plasma conditions can aid in the optimization of plasma radiation source K-shell emission. For example, a shell-on-shell argon gas puff has many parameters, such as the axial gas density profile, inner to outer shell mass ratio, total mass, and pinch load length, which can be varied on a shot by shot basis. At the Double-EAGLE facility at Maxwell Physics International, digital cameras have been implemented to routinely record pinhole images, x-ray spectra, and axially resolved streak images. A computer algorithm has been implemented to take as input the data (pinch diameter, Ar Ly[sub α] to He[sub α] line ratio, and K-shell power) and output the plasma parameters (density, electron temperature, and K-shell-emitting mass) as a function of z-pinch axial location. We describe the algorithm and present results for three different z-pinch loads. © 2001 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

States the development of Richtmyer-Meshkov (RM) instability due to interaction of planar shock wave with interface between two fluids. Discussion on the larger family of RM-like hydrodynamic interfacial instabilities; Factors involved in the laser ablation case; Presentation of the early-time perturbation behavior.

An analysis of x-ray data from two series of Z-pinch shots taken on the short current-risetime Saturn accelerator at Sandia National Laboratories [Proceedings of 6th International IEEE Pulsed Power Conference, Arlington, VA, edited by P. J. Turchi and B. H. Bernstein (IEEE, New York, 1987), p. 310] is presented. In one series, the array radius was held constant and the array mass was varied; in the other series, the array mass was held constant and its radius varied. In both sets of experiments, large wire-number loads (N>=93) of aluminum were used in contrast to earlier small wire-number aluminum array experiments on Saturn where N≤42. Average electron temperatures and ion densities were inferred from the data. In addition, from the measured size of the emission region of K-shell x rays and from the inferred ion density, a fraction of the total array mass that participated in the K-shell emission was inferred and found to be directly correlated to the K-shell yields that were measured. This paper also demonstrates that the yields varied as a function of array mass and radius in much closer agreement with predictions [J. Appl. Phys. 67, 1725 (1990)] than had been observed in the earlier small wire-number experiments. Thus, a serious misperception that the reason for the early disagreement was in the calculations and not in the experiments is corrected. These predictions were made using one-dimensional (1D) magnetohydrodynamics calculations. The density and temperature trends inferred from the data analysis are well-behaved and consistent with the 1D calculations. This data analysis confirms the importance of achieving uniform plasma initial conditions and implosion symmetry when comparing computer code calculations with experiment. When the wire number of an array load is increased, a more uniform shell of plasma is calculated initially as the wires explode and, as the plasma stagnates on axis, the x-ray powers and yields are found experimentally to appro... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent observations are given for an argon double-shell gas puff imploded with up to 4 MA in 200 ns on the Double Eagle generator [G. B. Frazier et al., Digest of Technical Papers, Fourth IEEE Pulsed Power Conference (IEEE, Piscataway, NJ, 1983), p. 583]. Good K-shell x-ray output with good pinch quality was observed. A novel experimental procedure was used to selectively seed the inner or outer gas plenums with a chlorine tracer. The tracer data provide the first direct experimental evidence that the mass initially closest to the axis is the dominant contributor to the hot core of the radiating pinch. © 2000 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]