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The objectives of this tutorial are as follows: 1) to help students and researchers develop a basic understanding of how pulsed-power systems are used to create high-energy-density (HED) matter; 2) to develop a basic understanding of a new, compact, and efficient pulsed-power technology called linear transformer drivers (LTDs); 3) to understand why LTDs are an attractive technology for driving HED physics (HEDP) experiments; 4) to contrast LTDs with the more traditional Marx-generator/pulse-forming-line approach to driving HEDP experiments; and 5) to briefly review the history of LTD technology as well as some of the LTD-driven HEDP research presently underway at universities and research laboratories across the globe. This invited tutorial is part of the Mini-Course on Charged Particle Beams and High-Powered Pulsed Sources, held in conjunction with the 44th International Conference on Plasma Science in May of 2017.

We present an overview of the magneto-inertial fusion (MIF) concept Magnetized Liner Inertial Fusion (MagLIF) pursued at Sandia National Laboratories and review some of the most prominent results since the initial experiments in 2013. In MagLIF, a centimeter-scale beryllium tube or ‘liner’ is filled with a fusion fuel, axially pre-magnetized, laser pre-heated, and finally imploded using up to 20 MA from the Z machine. All of these elements are necessary to generate a thermonuclear plasma: laser preheating raises the initial temperature of the fuel, the electrical current implodes the liner and quasi-adiabatically compresses the fuel via the Lorentz force, and the axial magnetic field limits thermal conduction from the hot plasma to the cold liner walls during the implosion. MagLIF is the first MIF concept to demonstrate fusion relevant temperatures, significant fusion production (>1013 primary DD neutron yield), and magnetic trapping of charged fusion particles. On a 60 MA next-generation pulsed-power machine, two-dimensional simulations suggest that MagLIF has the potential to generate multi-MJ yields with significant self-heating, a long-term goal of the US Stockpile Stewardship Program. At currents exceeding 65 MA, the high gains required for fusion energy could be achievable.

We present experimental results from the first systematic study of performance scaling with drive parameters for a magnetoinertial fusion concept. In magnetized liner inertial fusion experiments, the burn-averaged ion temperature doubles to 3.1 keV and the primary deuterium-deuterium neutron yield increases by more than an order of magnitude to 1.1×10^{13} (2 kJ deuterium-tritium equivalent) through a simultaneous increase in the applied magnetic field (from 10.4 to 15.9 T), laser preheat energy (from 0.46 to 1.2 kJ), and current coupling (from 16 to 20 MA). Individual parametric scans of the initial magnetic field and laser preheat energy show the expected trends, demonstrating the importance of magnetic insulation and the impact of the Nernst effect for this concept. A drive-current scan shows that present experiments operate close to the point where implosion stability is a limiting factor in performance, demonstrating the need to raise fuel pressure as drive current is increased. Simulations that capture these experimental trends indicate that another order of magnitude increase in yield on the Z facility is possible with additional increases of input parameters.

We have developed a conceptual design of a 15-TW pulsed-power accelerator based on the linear-transformer-driver (LTD) architecture described by Stygar [W. A. Stygar et al., Phys. Rev. ST Accel. Beams 18, 110401 (2015)]. The driver will allow multiple, high-energy-density experiments per day in a university environment and, at the same time, will enable both fundamental and integrated experiments that are scalable to larger facilities. In this design, many individual energy storage units (bricks), each composed of two capacitors and one switch, directly drive the target load without additional pulse compression. Ten LTD modules in parallel drive the load. Each module consists of 16 LTD cavities connected in series, where each cavity is powered by 22 bricks connected in parallel. This design stores up to 2.75 MJ and delivers up to 15 TW in 100 ns to the constant-impedance, water-insulated radial transmission lines. The transmission lines in turn deliver a peak current as high as 12.5 MA to the physics load. To maximize its experimental value and flexibility, the accelerator is coupled to a modern, multibeam laser facility (four beams with up to 5 kJ in 10 ns and one beam with up to 2.6 kJ in 100 ps or less) that can provide auxiliary heating of the physics load. The lasers also enable advanced diagnostic techniques such as X-ray Thomson scattering and multiframe and three-dimensional radiography. The coupled accelerator-laser facility will be the first of its kind and be capable of conducting unprecedented high-energy-density–physics experiments. Keywords: Pulsed power accelerator, High energy density physics, Conceptual design, PACS Codes: 84.70.+p, 84.60.Ve, 52.58.Lq

Herein we describe the design, simulation and performance of a 118-GW linear transformer driver (LTD) cavity at Sandia National Laboratories. The cavity consists of 20 to 24 “Bricks”. Each brick is comprised of two 80 nF, 100 kV capacitors connected electrically in series with a custom, 200 kV, three-electrode, field-distortion gas switch. The brick capacitors are bi-polar charged to a total of 200 kV. Typical brick circuit parameters are 40 nF (two 80 nF capacitors in series) and 160 nH inductance. Over the course of over 10,000 shots the cavity generated a peak electrical current and power of 1.19 MA and 118 GW.

Herein we present details of the design, simulation, and performance of a 100-GW linear transformer driver (LTD) cavity at Sandia National Laboratories. The cavity consists of 20 “bricks.” Each brick is comprised of two 80 nF, 100 kV capacitors connected electrically in series with a custom, 200 kV, three-electrode, field-distortion gas switch. The brick capacitors are bipolar charged to ±100 kV for a total switch voltage of 200 kV. Typical brick circuit parameters are 40 nF capacitance (two 80 nF capacitors in series) and 160 nH inductance. The switch electrodes are fabricated from a WCu alloy and are operated with breathable air. Over the course of 6,556 shots the cavity generated a peak electrical current and power of 1.03 MA (±1.8%) and 106 GW (±3.1%). Experimental results are consistent (to within uncertainties) with circuit simulations for normal operation, and expected failure modes including prefire and late-fire events. New features of this development that are reported here in detail include: (1) 100 ns, 1 MA, 100-GW output from a 2.2 m diameter LTD into a 0.1 Ω load, (2) high-impedance solid charging resistors that are optimized for this application, and (3) evaluation of maintenance-free trigger circuits using capacitive coupling and inductive isolation.

Pulsed power accelerators compress electrical energy in space and time to provide versatile experimental platforms for high energy density and inertial confinement fusion science. The 80-TW “Z” pulsed power facility at Sandia National Laboratories is the largest pulsed power device in the world today. Z discharges up to 22 MJ of energy stored in its capacitor banks into a current pulse that rises in 100 ns and peaks at a current as high as 30 MA in low-inductance cylindrical targets. Considerable progress has been made over the past 15 years in the use of pulsed power as a precision scientific tool. This paper reviews developments at Sandia in inertial confinement fusion, dynamic materials science, x-ray radiation science, and pulsed power engineering, with an emphasis on progress since a previous review of research on Z in Physics of Plasmas in 2005.

Saturn is a short-pulse (~ 40 ns FWHM) x-ray generator capable of delivering up 10 MA into a bremsstrahlung diode to yield up 5 × 10^12 rad/s (Si) per shot at an energy of 1 to 2 MeV. With the machine now over 30 years old it is necessary to rebuild and replace many components, upgrade controls and diagnostics, design for more reliability and reproducibility, and, as possible upgrade the accelerator to produce more current at a low voltage (~ 1 MV or lower). Thus it has been necessary to reevaluate machine design parameters. The machine is modeled as a simple LR circuit driven with an equivalent a sine-squared drive waveform as peak voltage, drive impedance, and vacuum inductance are varied. Each variation has implications for vacuum insulator voltage, diode voltage, diode impedance, and radiation output. For purposes of this study, radiation is scaled as the diode current times the diode voltage raised to the 2.7 power. Results of parameter scans are presented and used to develop a design that optimizes radiation output. Results indicate that to maintain the existing short pulse length of the machine but to increase output it is most beneficial to operate at an even higher impedance than originally designed. Also discussed are critical improvements that need to be made.

Absolute calibration of streaked visible spectroscopy systems has been performed at Z-machine at Sandia National Labs in order to determine temperatures of electrode surfaces during the current pulse. The ability to calibrate the full system, including all fiber optic runs and probes is crucial to understanding errors in the calibration process. The calibration procedure involves imaging a blackbody light source, with a known spectral radiance which is coupled to an integrating sphere. This source is streaked slowly over a few ns using Sydor streak cameras. The slow sweep is converted to a $100-500ns$ sweep by imaging a bright light source on both sweep rates, and obtaining wavelength and time dependent correction curves. Any broadband light source or several laser lines of differing wavelengths can be used for this correction. This technique has yielded temperature estimates of several eV in the Z convolute.

Maraviroc is a C‐C chemokine receptor type‐5 antagonist approved for the treatment of HIV‐1. Previous studies show that cytochrome P450 3A5 (CYP3A5) plays a role in maraviroc metabolism. CYP3A5 is subject to a genetic polymorphism. The presence of 2 functional alleles (CYP3A5*1/*1) confers the extensive metabolism phenotype, which is rare in whites but common in blacks. The effect of CYP3A5 genotype on maraviroc and/or metabolite pharmacokinetics was evaluated in 2 clinical studies: a post hoc analysis from a phase 2b/3 study ({"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT00098293","term_id":"NCT00098293"}}NCT00098293) conducted in 494 HIV‐1–infected subjects (study 1) in which the impact on maraviroc efficacy in 303 subjects was also assessed, and a study conducted in 47 healthy volunteers (study 2). In study 2 ({"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT02625207","term_id":"NCT02625207"}}NCT02625207), extensive metabolizers had 26% to 37% lower mean area under the concentration‐time curve compared with poor metabolizers (no CYP3A5*1 alleles). This effect diminished to 17% in the presence of potent CYP3A inhibition. The effect of CYP3A5 genotype was greatest in the formation of the metabolite (1S,2S)‐2‐hydroxymaraviroc. In study 1, the CYP3A5*1/*1 genotype unexpectedly had higher maraviroc area under the curve predictions (20%) compared with those with no CYP3A5*1 alleles. The reason for this disparity remains unclear. The proportions of subjects with viral loads

Driving liquid deuterium into metal Quick and powerful compression can force materials to change their properties dramatically. Knudson et al. compressed liquid deuterium to extreme temperatures and pressures using high-energy magnetic pulses at the Sandia Z-machine (see the Perspective by Ackland). Deuterium began to reflect like a mirror during compression, as the electrical conductivity sharply increased. The observed conditions for metallization of deuterium and hydrogen help us to build theoretical models for the universe's most abundant element. This a our understanding of the internal layering of gas giant planets such as Jupiter and Saturn. Science , this issue p. 1455 ; see also p. 1429

We have developed a conceptual design of a next-generation pulsed-power accelerator that is optimized for advanced high-energy-density-physics experiments. The prime power source of the machine consists of 210 impedance-matched Marx generators (IMGs). Each IMG drives a 150-ns-long coaxial-transmission-line impedance transformer. The coaxial lines provide a minimum of 300 ns of transit-time isolation between each pair of IMGs. The lines in turn drive six radial-transmission-line impedance transformers, which transport the power generated by the IMGs to a six-level vacuum-insulator stack. The stack is connected to six conical outer magnetically insulated vacuum transmission lines (MITLs); these are joined in parallel at a 12-cm radius by a triple-post-hole vacuum convolute. The convolute sums the electrical currents at the outputs of the six outer MITLs, and delivers the combined current to a single short inner MITL. The inner MITL transmits the combined current to the accelerator's physics load. Since the accelerator would be the largest and most-powerful pulsed-power machine developed to date, we refer to it as Jupiter. The conceptual design of Jupiter is 72 m in diameter, stores 140 MJ of electrical energy, and generates 960 TW of peak electrical power at the output of the IMG system. The design delivers 2700 TW, 67 MA, and 9.2 MJ in a 110-ns pulse to a 0D magnetized-liner inertial-fusion (MagLIF) target. The principal goal of the design is to achieve high-yield thermonuclear fusion; i.e., a fusion yield that exceeds the energy initially stored by the accelerator's capacitors.

The Z pulsed power driver at Sandia National Laboratories is used for a wide range of high energy density physics experiments in areas such as inertial confinement fusion, radiation effects, and dynamic material properties. Experimental demands are pushing for the highest energy attainable with more reliability and precision in timing and pulse compression. A previous version of the laser-triggered gas switch had been made reliable at voltages up to 5.7 MV, allowing 5 nanosecond load accuracy. The desire for higher energy and higher precision dictated a new laser-triggered switch design. In Z, 36 DC-charged Marx generators pulse-charge water-insulated capacitors in 1.5 microseconds. The laser-triggered gas switch commutes the energy stored in the water-insulated capacitor to subsequent pulse compression stages that utilize self-closing water switches. The laser-triggered switch is the last command triggered switch in the chain, and largely determines the temporal accuracy of the total load current. Both switches consist of a laser triggered section and a self-closing cascade section. The previous design required a trigger plate to provide mechanical support for the cascade section. With fixed laser energy, it was impossible to increase the triggered fraction of the switch. Because of the trigger support plate that affects the field distribution after triggering, establishing an operating pressure that provides a reliable balance between low pre-fire rate and low jitter becomes difficult, and more so at higher voltage. The new switch uses a cantilevered design that increases the electric stress in the self-closing section after triggering, even with a slightly-reduced triggered gap. It was required that the new design work within the same operating space and infrastructure as the previous. We will show details of the design and features necessary for reliable operation in the extreme electrical and mechanical environment presented by daily operation on Z.

The Z machine is a 36-module, multi-megavolt, low impedance magnetic pressure driver for high-energy-density physics experiments. In 2007, a major re-build doubled the stored energy and increased the peak current capability of Z. The upgraded system routinely drives 27 MA through low inductance dynamic loads with 110 nanosecond time to peak current. The Z pulsed power system is expected to be prepared for a full-energy experiment every day, with a small (

We have conceived a new class of prime-power sources for pulsed-power accelerators: impedance-matched Marx generators (IMGs). The fundamental building block of an IMG is a brick, which consists of two capacitors connected electrically in series with a single switch. An IMG comprises a single stage or several stages distributed axially and connected in series. Each stage is powered by a single brick or several bricks distributed azimuthally within the stage and connected in parallel. The stages of a multistage IMG drive an impedance-matched coaxial transmission line with a conical center conductor. When the stages are triggered sequentially to launch a coherent traveling wave along the coaxial line, the IMG achieves electromagnetic-power amplification by triggered emission of radiation. Hence a multistage IMG is a pulsed-power analogue of a laser. To illustrate the IMG approach to prime power, we have developed conceptual designs of two ten-stage IMGs with $LC$ time constants on the order of 100 ns. One design includes 20 bricks per stage, and delivers a peak electrical power of 1.05 TW to a matched-impedance $1.22\text{\ensuremath{-}}\ensuremath{\Omega}$ load. The design generates 113 kV per stage and has a maximum energy efficiency of 89%. The other design includes a single brick per stage, delivers 68 GW to a matched-impedance $19\text{\ensuremath{-}}\ensuremath{\Omega}$ load, generates 113 kV per stage, and has a maximum energy efficiency of 90%. For a given electrical-power-output time history, an IMG is less expensive and slightly more efficient than a linear transformer driver, since an IMG does not use ferromagnetic cores.

The Magnetized Liner Inertial Fusion concept (MagLIF) [Slutz et al., Phys. Plasmas 17, 056303 (2010)] is being studied on the Z facility at Sandia National Laboratories. Neutron yields greater than 1012 have been achieved with a drive current in the range of 17–18 MA and pure deuterium fuel [Gomez et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 155003 (2014)]. We show that 2D simulated yields are about twice the best yields obtained on Z and that a likely cause of this difference is the mix of material into the fuel. Mitigation strategies are presented. Previous numerical studies indicate that much larger yields (10–1000 MJ) should be possible with pulsed power machines producing larger drive currents (45–60 MA) than can be produced by the Z machine [Slutz et al., Phys. Plasmas 23, 022702 (2016)]. To test the accuracy of these 2D simulations, we present modifications to MagLIF experiments using the existing Z facility, for which 2D simulations predict a 100-fold enhancement of MagLIF fusion yields and considerable increases in burn temperatures. Experimental verification of these predictions would increase the credibility of predictions at higher drive currents.The Magnetized Liner Inertial Fusion concept (MagLIF) [Slutz et al., Phys. Plasmas 17, 056303 (2010)] is being studied on the Z facility at Sandia National Laboratories. Neutron yields greater than 1012 have been achieved with a drive current in the range of 17–18 MA and pure deuterium fuel [Gomez et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 155003 (2014)]. We show that 2D simulated yields are about twice the best yields obtained on Z and that a likely cause of this difference is the mix of material into the fuel. Mitigation strategies are presented. Previous numerical studies indicate that much larger yields (10–1000 MJ) should be possible with pulsed power machines producing larger drive currents (45–60 MA) than can be produced by the Z machine [Slutz et al., Phys. Plasmas 23, 022702 (2016)]. To test the accuracy of these 2D simulations, we present modifications to MagLIF experiments using the existing Z facility, for which 2D simulations predict a 100-fold enhancement of MagLIF fusion yields and considerable increase...

The Z Facility at Sandia National Laboratories can produce >;2 MJ of X-ray energy with peak powers >;280 TW. Achieving optimal load performance requires the control of the implosion time of the Z-pinch with respect to the current pulse shape from the pulsed-power driver. Additionally, accurate estimates of the implosion time are required for the precise timing of diagnostics used to study the implosion. A key aspect for assessing this load-driver match, both computationally and experimentally, is the mass of the wire array. In this paper, we present new methods to characterize wire arrays. Accurate mass measurements were made of individual wires. Individual wire diameters were measured from a sampling of wire sections, and a statistical analysis was performed. Finally, the wire arrays were imaged to ensure and document the quality of the final wire array. Data provide an estimate of the load mass that can be used to track experimental trends, provide accurate implosion time predictions for diagnostic timing, and provide input for computational models.

High current pulsed-power generators efficiently store and deliver magnetic energy to z-pinch targets. We review applications of magnetically driven implosions (MDIs) to inertial confinement fusion. Previous research on MDIs of wire-array z-pinches for radiation-driven indirect-drive target designs is summarized. Indirect-drive designs are compared with new targets that are imploded by direct application of magnetic pressure produced by the pulsed-power current pulse. We describe target design elements such as larger absorbed energy, magnetized and pre-heated fuel, and cryogenic fuel layers that may relax fusion requirements. These elements are embodied in the magnetized liner inertial fusion (MagLIF) concept [Slutz “Pulsed-power-driven cylindrical liner implosions of laser pre-heated fuel magnetized with an axial field,” Phys. Plasmas, 17, 056303 (2010), and Stephen A. Slutz and Roger A. Vesey, “High-Gain Magnetized Inertial Fusion,” Phys. Rev. Lett., 108, 025003 (2012)]. MagLIF is in the class of magneto-inertial fusion targets. In MagLIF, the large drive currents produce an azimuthal magnetic field that compresses cylindrical liners containing pre-heated and axially pre-magnetized fusion fuel. Scientific breakeven may be achievable on the Z facility with this concept. Simulations of MagLIF with deuterium-tritium fuel indicate that the fusion energy yield can exceed the energy invested in heating the fuel at a peak drive current of about 27 MA. Scientific breakeven does not require alpha particle self-heating and is therefore not equivalent to ignition. Capabilities to perform these experiments will be developed on Z starting in 2013. These simulations and predictions must be validated against a series of experiments over the next five years. Near-term experiments are planned at drive currents of 16 MA with D2 fuel. MagLIF increases the efficiency of coupling energy (=target absorbed energy/driver stored energy) to targets by 10-150X relative to indirect-drive targets. MagLIF also increases the absolute energy absorbed by the target by 10-50X relative to indirect-drive targets. These increases could lead to higher fusion gains and yields. Single-shot high yields are of great utility to national security missions. Higher efficiency and higher gains may also translate into more compelling (lower cost and complexity) fusion reactor designs. We will discuss the broad goals of the emerging research on the MagLIF concept and identify some of the challenges. We will also summarize advances in pulsed-power technology and pulsed-power driver architectures that double the efficiency of the driver.

The purpose of this project was to develop new physical simulation capabilities in order to support the science-based qualification of nonnuclear weapon components in hostile radiation environments. The project contributes directly to the goals of maintaining a safe, secure, and effective US nuclear stockpile, maintaining strategic deterrence at lower nuclear force levels, extending the life of the nuclear deterrent capability, and to be ready for technological surprise.

We have developed a conceptual design of a next-generation pulsed-power accelerator that is optimized for megajoule-class dynamic-material-physics experiments. Sufficient electrical energy is delivered by the accelerator to a physics load to achieve---within centimeter-scale samples---material pressures as high as 1 TPa. The accelerator design is based on an architecture that is founded on three concepts: single-stage electrical-pulse compression, impedance matching, and transit-time-isolated drive circuits. The prime power source of the accelerator consists of 600 independent impedance-matched Marx generators. Each Marx comprises eight 5.8-GW bricks connected electrically in series, and generates a 100-ns 46-GW electrical-power pulse. A 450-ns-long water-insulated coaxial-transmission-line impedance transformer transports the power generated by each Marx to a system of twelve 2.5-m-radius water-insulated conical transmission lines. The conical lines are connected electrically in parallel at a 66-cm radius by a water-insulated 45-post sextuple-post-hole convolute. The convolute sums the electrical currents at the outputs of the conical lines, and delivers the combined current to a single solid-dielectric-insulated radial transmission line. The radial line in turn transmits the combined current to the load. Since much of the accelerator is water insulated, we refer to it as Neptune. Neptune is 40 m in diameter, stores 4.8 MJ of electrical energy in its Marx capacitors, and generates 28 TW of peak electrical power. Since the Marxes are transit-time isolated from each other for 900 ns, they can be triggered at different times to construct--over an interval as long as $1\text{ }\text{ }\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{s}$--the specific load-current time history required for a given experiment. Neptune delivers 1 MJ and 20 MA in a 380-ns current pulse to an $18\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{m}\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Omega}}$ load; hence Neptune is a megajoule-class 20-MA arbitrary waveform generator. Neptune will allow the international scientific community to conduct dynamic equation-of-state, phase-transition, mechanical-property, and other material-physics experiments with a wide variety of drive-pressure time histories.

Here, we have developed conceptual designs of two petawatt-class pulsed-power accelerators: Z 300 and Z 800. The designs are based on an accelerator architecture that is founded on two concepts: single-stage electrical-pulse compression and impedance matching [Phys. Rev. ST Accel. Beams 10, 030401 (2007)]. The prime power source of each machine consists of 90 linear-transformer-driver (LTD) modules. Each module comprises LTD cavities connected electrically in series, each of which is powered by 5-GW LTD bricks connected electrically in parallel. (A brick comprises a single switch and two capacitors in series.) Six water-insulated radial-transmission-line impedance transformers transport the power generated by the modules to a six-level vacuum-insulator stack. The stack serves as the accelerator’s water-vacuum interface. The stack is connected to six conical outer magnetically insulated vacuum transmission lines (MITLs), which are joined in parallel at a 10-cm radius by a triple-post-hole vacuum convolute. The convolute sums the electrical currents at the outputs of the six outer MITLs, and delivers the combined current to a single short inner MITL. The inner MITL transmits the combined current to the accelerator’s physics-package load. Z 300 is 35 m in diameter and stores 48 MJ of electrical energy in its LTD capacitors. The acceleratormore » generates 320 TW of electrical power at the output of the LTD system, and delivers 48 MA in 154 ns to a magnetized-liner inertial-fusion (MagLIF) target [Phys. Plasmas 17, 056303 (2010)]. The peak electrical power at the MagLIF target is 870 TW, which is the highest power throughout the accelerator. Power amplification is accomplished by the centrally located vacuum section, which serves as an intermediate inductive-energy-storage device. The principal goal of Z 300 is to achieve thermonuclear ignition; i.e., a fusion yield that exceeds the energy transmitted by the accelerator to the liner. 2D magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations suggest Z 300 will deliver 4.3 MJ to the liner, and achieve a yield on the order of 18 MJ. Z 800 is 52 m in diameter and stores 130 MJ. This accelerator generates 890 TW at the output of its LTD system, and delivers 65 MA in 113 ns to a MagLIF target. The peak electrical power at the MagLIF liner is 2500 TW. The principal goal of Z 800 is to achieve high-yield thermonuclear fusion; i.e., a yield that exceeds the energy initially stored by the accelerator’s capacitors. 2D MHD simulations suggest Z 800 will deliver 8.0 MJ to the liner, and achieve a yield on the order of 440 MJ. Z 300 and Z 800, or variations of these accelerators, will allow the international high-energy-density-physics community to conduct advanced inertial-confinement-fusion, radiation-physics, material-physics, and laboratory-astrophysics experiments over heretofore-inaccessible parameter regimes.« less

Compact tungsten wire array Z-pinches imploded on the Z generator at Sandia National Laboratories have proven to be a powerful reproducible X-ray source. Wire arrays have also been used in dynamic hohlraum radiation flow experiments and as an intense K-shell source, while the generator has been used extensively for isentropic compression experiments. A problem shared by all these applications is current loss, preventing the ~20-MA drive current from being reliably coupled to the load. This potentially degrades performance, while uncertainties in how this loss is described limit our predictive capability. We present details of a transmission line equivalent circuit model of the Z generator for use in driving 3-D resistive MHD simulations of wire array loads. We describe how power delivery to these loads is affected by multiple current losses and demonstrate how these may be calculated or reconstructed from available electrical data for inclusion in the circuit model. We then demonstrate how the circuit model and MHD load calculation may be combined to infer an additional current loss that has not been directly diagnosed for wire arrays.

Abrupt insulator-to-metal transition is experimentally observed in dense liquid D2 by application of magnetic shock waves of several hundred GPa to a cryocell containing D2 (22 K, density of 0.167 g/cm3) at the Sandia Z machine (Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA) for pulsed power research.

Electrostatic breakdown (“flashover”) can limit the maximum delivered power in pulsed power systems. One problematic region is the solid-vacuum interface. The solid/vacuum interface surface is generally the component most likely to suffer undesired breakdown in a well-designed pulsed power system driving a load in vacuum. A relatively small (in total number) and localized amount of neutrals or plasma can be enough to allow a self-sustaining discharge. A discharge along the solid-vacuum interface can readily and quickly desorb ions and neutrals from the insulator material. The spurious discharge can carry almost unlimited current, generally constrained only by the current source or the inductance of the current path. Radial insulator assemblies, where power flows along the axis of the insulator (used in a coaxial power feed with concentric insulators of differing diameters, maintaining radial electric field direction) can be lower insertion inductance and smaller in total size than axial insulators. Radial insulators have additional electric field grading and mechanical stress issues compared to an axial insulator system. With an interest in quantifying and improving performance of a radial insulator system, we have built a prototype 60 cm diameter assembly with four series insulator rings and 0.23 m2 total stressed area. By driving the insulator with a ∼2 MV, 15 ns (effective time) negative pulse from a low energy system, we are able to study insulator performance of a multi-level stack with a reasonable data rate in a relevant regime (∼180 kV/cm). The prototype insulator assembly is designed to demonstrate key concepts important for a large system, including 1) improved electric field uniformity using equipotential redistribution, 2) mechanical assembly viability with reasonable machining tolerances, and 3) useful electric field hold-off. The system is scalable to larger size insulators with acceptable electric field uniformity and mechanical stress in the insulating plastic. Mated to a (generally optimal) 40Ω oil-insulated transmission line, the electric field uniformity on the plastic-vacuum interface tested here is better than ±1%. Without equipotential redistribution, the electric field non-uniformity would be of order ±46%. To facilitate future fabrication of larger insulator assemblies, the Rexolite® 1422 cross-linked polystyrene plastic rings are cut from sheet or individually cast, then machined; a large monolithic slab of insulator material is not needed. We will discuss basic properties of vacuum interfaces, discuss scaling formulae used to relate performance of different systems, and show results of testing.

The Sandia National Laboratories SPHINX accelerator is used to study the response of electronics to pulsed x-ray and electron environments. The system consists of a Marx generator and an oil-insulated pulse-forming line with self-closing oil switches. SPHINX has a peak load voltage of 2 MV and an adjustable pulse width ranging from 3 to 10 ns. The previous pulsed-power system had reliability and triggering issues with the Marx generator and subsequent undesired variations in voltage output. SPHINX was upgraded to a new Marx-generator system that has solved many of the voltage-output fluctuation and timing issues. The new Marx generator uses recently developed low-inductance 100-kV capacitors and 200-kV spark-gap switches. This paper provides an overview of SPHINX while capturing in detail the design, characterization, and comparative performance of the new Marx generator.

In this paper, we will present new Z-pinch liner experiments on Sandia's Z facility (20 MA, 100ns current pulse) that demonstrate the integral Magneto-Rayleigh-Taylor (MRT) instability growth can be dramatically limited by controlling the growth of electrothermal instabilities that form early in the electrical current pulse as Joule heating melts and vaporizes the liner surface[1]. In these experiments, we implode Al and Be solid liners to inertial confinement fusion relevant velocities [2] and large convergence ratios and show that thick (∼70 μm) dielectric coatings are very effective in controlling the deleterious effects of the electrothermal instability, limiting the seed for subsequent MRT growth, and ultimately lead to a more stable implosion. These experiments extend the previously reported work on the Z facility which also showed dramatic reduction of instability growth in non-imploding solid metallic rods[3].

A study of the triggered plasma opening switch characteristics is in progress via an ion current collection diagnostic (ICCD) in addition to an offline apparatus. The ICCD will be used to explore the opening profile of the plasma opening switch. The design and fabrication of the diagnostic, as well as theoretical work to understand its functioning, and the initial measurements are presented. The ICCD utilizes 12 biased charge collectors that are positioned perpendicularly to the main switch in order to collect radially traveling ions emitted from the switch plasma. The maximum possible gap is 5 cm, and the radius of the cathode is 18 cm. As long as gap variations are small compared to the gap, it has been shown that this cylindrical geometry can be treated as a planar case of the Child-Langmuir law with only a 6% error. Additionally, electrostatic simulations with self-consistent space charge have been done using a static two-dimensional finite-element solver. It is hoped that the ICCD experimental data will provide insight into the operation of this plasma opening switch

The Z machine at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) is the world's largest and most powerful laboratory X-ray source. The Z Refurbishment Project (ZR) is presently underway to provide an improved precision, more shot capacity, and a higher current capability. The ZR upgrade has a total output current requirement of at least 26 MA for a 100-ns standard Z-pinch load. To accomplish this with minimal impact on the surrounding hardware, the 60 high-energy discharge capacitors in each of the existing 36 Marx generators must be replaced with identical size units but with twice the capacitance. Before the six-month shut down and transition from Z to ZR occurs, 2500 of these capacitors will be delivered. We chose to undertake an ambitious vendor qualification program to reduce the risk of not meeting ZR performance goals, to encourage the pulsed-power industry to revisit the design and development of high- energy discharge capacitors, and to meet the cost and delivery schedule within the ZR project plans. Five manufacturers were willing to fabricate and sell SNL samples of six capacitors each to be evaluated. The 8000-shot qualification test phase of the evaluation effort is now complete. This paper summarizes how the 0.279/spl times/0.356/spl times/0.635-m (11/spl times/14/spl times/25-in) stainless steel can, Scyllac-style insulator bushing, 2.65-/spl mu/F

The long-range goal of the Z-Pinch IFE program is to produce an economically-attractive power plant using high-yield z-pinch-driven targets (~3GJ) with low rep-rate per chamber (~0.1 Hz). The prese...

The first fully kinetic, collisional, and electromagnetic simulations of the breakdown phase of a MA-scale dense plasma focus are described and shown to agree with measured electrical characteristics, including breakdown time. In the model, avalanche ionization is driven by cathode electron emission, and this results in incomplete gas breakdown along the insulator. This reinforces the importance of the conditioning process that creates a metallic layer on the insulator surface. The simulations, nonetheless, help explain the relationship between the gas pressure, the insulator length, and the coaxial gap width. Previously, researchers noted three breakdown patterns related to pressure. Simulation and analytical results show that at low pressures, long ionization path lengths lead to volumetric breakdown, while high pressures lead to breakdown across the relatively small coaxial electrode gap. In an intermediate pressure regime, ionization path lengths are comparable to the insulator length which promotes i...

This Letter presents results from the first fully integrated experiments testing the magnetized liner inertial fusion concept [S. A. Slutz et al., Phys. Plasmas 17, 056303 (2010)], in which a cylinder of deuterium gas with a preimposed 10 Taxial magnetic field is heated by Z beamlet, a 2.5 kJ, 1 TW laser, and magnetically imploded by a 19 MA, 100 ns rise time current on the Z facility. Despite a predicted peak implosion velocity of only 70 km = s, the fuel reaches a stagnation temperature of approximately 3 keV, with T(e) ≈ T(i), and produces up to 2 x 10(12) thermonuclear deuterium-deuterium neutrons. X-ray emission indicates a hot fuel region with full width at half maximum ranging from 60 to 120 μm over a 6 mm height and lasting approximately 2 ns. Greater than 10(10) secondary deuterium-tritium neutrons were observed, indicating significant fuel magnetization given that the estimated radial areal density of the plasma is only 2 mg = cm(2).

Magnetizing the fuel in inertial confinement fusion relaxes ignition requirements by reducing thermal conductivity and changing the physics of burn product confinement. Diagnosing the level of fuel magnetization during burn is critical to understanding target performance in magneto-inertial fusion (MIF) implosions. In pure deuterium fusion plasma, 1.01 MeV tritons are emitted during deuterium-deuterium fusion and can undergo secondary deuterium-tritium reactions before exiting the fuel. Increasing the fuel magnetization elongates the path lengths through the fuel of some of the tritons, enhancing their probability of reaction. Based on this feature, a method to diagnose fuel magnetization using the ratio of overall deuterium-tritium to deuterium-deuterium neutron yields is developed. Analysis of anisotropies in the secondary neutron energy spectra further constrain the measurement. Secondary reactions also are shown to provide an upper bound for the volumetric fuel-pusher mix in MIF. The analysis is applied to recent MIF experiments [M. R. Gomez et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 155003 (2014)] on the Z Pulsed Power Facility, indicating that significant magnetic confinement of charged burn products was achieved and suggesting a relatively low-mix environment. Both of these are essential features of future ignition-scale MIF designs.

Advancements have been made in the diagnostic techniques to measure accurately the total radiated x-ray yield and power from z-pinch implosion experiments at the Z machine with high accuracy. The Z machine is capable of outputting 2 MJ and 330 TW of x-ray yield and power, and accurately measuring these quantities is imperative. We will describe work over the past several years which include the development of new diagnostics, improvements to existing diagnostics, and implementation of automated data analysis routines. A set of experiments on the Z machine were conducted in which the load and machine configuration were held constant. During this shot series, it was observed that the total z-pinch x-ray emission power determined from the two common techniques for inferring the x-ray power, a Kimfol filtered x-ray diode diagnostic and the total power and energy diagnostic, gave 449 TW and 323 TW, respectively. Our analysis shows the latter to be the more accurate interpretation. More broadly, the comparison demonstrates the necessity to consider spectral response and field of view when inferring x-ray powers from z-pinch sources.

An experiment platform has been designed to study vacuum power flow in magnetically insulated transmission lines (MITLs). The platform is driven by the Mykonos-V LTD accelerator to drive a coaxial MITL with a millimeter-scale anode-cathode gap. The experiments conducted quantify the current loss in the MITL with respect to vacuum pumpdown time and vacuum pressure. MITL gaps between 1.0 mm and 1.3 mm were tested. The experiment results revealed large differences in performance for the 1.0 and 1.3 mm gaps. The 1.0 mm gap resulted in current losses of 40%–60% of the peak current. The 1.3 mm gap resulted in current losses of less than 5% of peak current. Classical MITL models that neglect plasma expansion predict that there should be zero current loss, after magnetic insulation is established, for both of these gaps.

Future pulsed power systems may rely on linear transformer driver (LTD) technology. The LTD's will be the building blocks for a driver that can deliver higher current than the Z-Machine. The LTD's would require tens of thousands of low inductance ( < 85nH), high voltage (200 kV DC) switches with high reliability and long lifetime ( 10 4 shots). Sandia's Z-Machine employs 36 megavolt class switches that are laser triggered by a single channel discharge. This is feasible for tens of switches but the high inductance and short switch life- time associated with the single channel discharge are undesirable for future machines. Thus the fundamental problem is how to lower inductance and losses while increasing switch life- time and reliability. These goals can be achieved by increasing the number of current-carrying channels. The rail gap switch is ideal for this purpose. Although those switches have been extensively studied during the past decades, each effort has only characterized a particular switch. There is no comprehensive understanding of the underlying physics that would allow predictive capability for arbitrary switch geometry. We have studied rail gap switches via an extensive suite of advanced diagnostics in synergy with theoretical physics and advanced modeling capability.more » Design and topology of multichannel switches as they relate to discharge dynamics are investigated. This involves electrically and optically triggered rail gaps, as well as discrete multi-site switch concepts.« less

Recent experiments on Sandia's Z facility have confirmed simulation predictions of dramatically reduced instability growth in solid metallic rods when thick dielectric coatings are used to mitigate density perturbations arising from an electrothermal instability. These results provide further evidence that the inherent surface roughness as a result of target fabrication is not the dominant seed for the growth of magneto-Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities in liners with carefully machined smooth surfaces, but rather electrothermal instabilities that form early in the electrical current pulse as Joule heating melts and vaporizes the liner surface. These results suggest a new technique for substantially reducing the integral magneto-Rayleigh-Taylor instability growth in magnetically driven implosions, such as cylindrical dynamic material experiments and inertial confinement fusion concepts.

The use of radioactivity is a well-established approach to generate data from a wide range of drug metabolism and pharmacokinetic (DMPK) activities, including absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) studies, investigations of enzymology and enzyme kinetics, and tissue distribution studies in toxicology species. A variety of methodologies is available for the detection and quantitation of radioactive components, comprising a variety of off-line and online approaches. Off-line techniques involve the fractionation of metabolism samples into either scintillation vials or microtiter plates followed by radiochemical analysis of the collected fractions. Online approaches employ radioflow cells, which utilize homogeneous detection, involving the addition of a liquid scintillant, or heterogeneous detection, where solid scintillants are used. In addition, accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS), which detects individual isotope ions, represents an alternative approach to the quantitation of radioactive material. The choice of approach is a balance between sensitivity and considerations of time and cost. In terms of sensitivity, off-line approaches generally offer an improvement over online techniques, although stop-flow approaches can enhance online detection, while AMS provides a dramatic further increase in sensitivity. However, online approaches typically offer higher throughput than off-line techniques, with AMS being extremely slow and costly. For these reasons, case-by-case considerations of the optimal detection approach are necessary, based on an understanding of the capabilities of the various methodologies and the necessary data to address the relevant ADME issues. Keywords: radiochemical detection; metabolites; quantitation; accelerator mass spectrometry

Tests are ongoing to conduct ∼20 MA z-pinch implosions on the Z accelerator at Sandia National Laboratory using Ar, Kr, and D2 gas puffs as the imploding loads. The relatively high cost of operations on a machine of this scale imposes stringent requirements on the functionality, reliability, and safety of gas puff hardware. Here we describe the development of a prototype gas puff system including the multiple-shell nozzles, electromagnetic drivers for each nozzle's valve, a UV pre-ionizer, and an inductive isolator to isolate the ∼2.4 MV machine voltage pulse present at the gas load from the necessary electrical and fluid connections made to the puff system from outside the Z vacuum chamber. This paper shows how the assembly couples to the overall Z system and presents data taken to validate the functionality of the overall system.

A system of 36 laser-triggered gas switches (LTGS) serves as the last set of command-triggered switches in the 80-TW refurbished Z accelerator at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL). The system is instrumental in the overall performance of Z and allows for flexibility in pulse shaping for various experimental campaigns. It is desirable to push the operating envelope of the switches to higher voltages and currents to allow for a higher peak power to be delivered to the load while at the same time reducing jitter and pre-fire rate for increased precision and reliability. We have accomplished this with a new LTGS (which we refer to as the C1.1 switch) while keeping the overall switch size consistent with the physical space available. Like previous gas switches [1,2], the C1.1 LTGS consists of laser-triggered and cascade electrode sections. However, the C1.1's cascade section is cantilevered and is not supported mechanically near the trigger section. An insulating rod located within the cascade electrodes (which supports the cascade section mechanically) is scalloped to reduce the likelihood of electrical tracking. Material choice for the center support rod was important due to both the mechanical and electrical requirements placed on this component. Mechanical shock testing of the new switch was performed on a shaker table available at SNL prior to installation on Z. All electrical testing of the improved LTGS was performed on the Z machine. To date, we have accumulated over 120 shots on C1.1 switches without a pre-fire. Runtime statistics are determined after each shot and show that the C1.1 switches are very tolerant to voltage and pressure variations, exhibiting median runtimes of ~37-41 ns with a jitter of

We have developed conceptual designs of two next-generation petawatt-class pulsed-power accelerators. The designs are based on the architecture described in Ref. [1]. The prime power source of both designs is a system of lineartransformer drivers (LTDs) [2,3]. Both designs use six water-insulated radial-transmission-line impedance transformers [1,4,5] to transport the power generated by the LTDs to a six-level vacuum-insulator stack. The stack is connected to six radial magnetically insulated transmission lines (MITLs); the MITLs are joined in parallel at small radius by a triple-post-hole vacuum convolute [6-9]. The convolute delivers the combined power of the six MITLs to a single short MITL that transmits the power to the load. The first accelerator will generate a peak electrical power of 300 TW, and deliver an effective peak current of 50 MA to a z pinch that implodes in 130 ns. This accelerator is 35 m in diameter, and will fit within the existing Z-accelerator building. The second, which is 52 m in diameter, will generate 800 TW, and deliver an effective peak current of 66 MA to a pinch that implodes in 120 ns. Both accelerators will allow high-energy-density physics experiments to be conducted over heretofore inaccessible parameter regimes.

Summary form only given. We have developed and tested two prototype linear transformer drivers (LTDs): LTD III [1], which is a single LTD cavity that generates a peak electrical power of 79 GW, and Mykonos II [2,3], which is a two-cavity 142 GW LTD module. LTD III is driven by 20 bricks, each of which includes an 85-nH gas switch and two 60-nF capacitors. LTD III has been successfully tested on 3,500 shots at a charge voltage of +100 kV / -100 kV. The first 1,500 shots were conducted with UV-illuminated gas switches; the last 2,000, with new three-electrode field-distortion switches. Over the course of the last 2,000 shots, the variation of the output power generated by LTD III was 0.9% (one sigma) and the switch pre-fire rate was 1 in 10,000 switch shots after conditioning. Mykonos II is driven by 72 bricks altogether, 36 in each of the module's two cavities. Each brick includes a 115-nH switch and two 40-nH capacitors. Mykonos II is the first LTD module to drive a water-insulated transmission line. Mykonos has been successfully tested on 1,500 shots at a charge voltage of +90 kV / -90 k V. Over the course of these shots, the variation in the output power was 2.3% (one sigma) and the switch pre-fire rate was 1 in 11,000 switch shots after conditioning. Measured output-pulse parameters of LTD III and Mykonos II are consistent with circuit-model predictions. The results obtained suggest that LTDs are a viable prime-power source for next-generation pulsed-power accelerators.

Summary form only given. Wire array z-pinches on the Z generator are bright sources of radiation from 200eV to 9keV. Typically, wire materials are varied to provide emission in a specific spectral band, and the array setup is varied in order to provide appropriate energy per ion to heat the stagnated plasma to an electron temperature conducive to efficient emission within that band. Here we discuss a series of experiments where the wire material is varied (Al, Stainless Steel, Cu, W), however the array setup is fixed at 65mm diameter and 2.5mg mass. We discuss similarities and differences in the implosion dynamics and the differences in the plasma conditions achieved at stagnation. We will explore the changes in total, thermal K-shell and non-thermal K-shell emission between the different materials.

The transmission line circuit model of the Z machine is used extensively to aid in the design and analysis of experiments conducted on Z. The circuit model consists of both 1-D and 2-D networks of transmission lines modeling Z's 36 pulselines, vacuum insulator stack, MITLs, vacuum convolute, and load [1].

As the last command-triggered switch in the Refurbished Z accelerator at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), the laser-triggered gas switch (LTGS) system is instrumental in the overall performance of Z and allows for flexibility in pulse shaping for various experimental campaigns. It is desirable to push the operating envelope of the switch to higher voltages and currents to allow for a higher peak power to be delivered to the load while at the same time reducing jitter and pre-fire rate for increased precision and reliability. We have accomplished this in a version of the LTGS that we call the C1.1 with the constraint of keeping the overall switch size consistent with physical space available. The C1.1 LTGS consists of laser-triggered and cascade portions which has been reported on previously.[1] However, the C1.1 eliminates the trigger plate and supports the cascade section in a cantilevered fashion. Improvements to this iteration of the LTGS were mainly mechanical in nature. Other minor electrical improvements were made to reduce regions of electric field enhancement and to reduce the likelihood of tracking by adding scalloping to the center support rod. Materials choice for the center support rod was important due to both the mechanical and electrical requirements placed on this component. Mechanical shock testing of the improved switch was performed on a shaker table available at SNL prior to installation on Z and showed that the improvements resulted in less displacement of the cantilevered end and less rotation of components in the cascade section. All electrical testing of the improved LTGS was performed on the Z machine. To date, we have accumulated 377 shots on C1.1 switches without a pre-fire. Runtime statistics are determined after each shot and show that the C1.1 switches are very tolerant to voltage and pressure variations exhibiting median runtimes of 43.9 ns with a jitter (1-σ) of 5.4 ns for all switch closures. The modifications made to and the performance results of the improved LTGS system are detailed in this manuscript.

Summary form only given. We present the results of 2D and 3D Fully kinetic electromagnetic particle-in-cell Monte-Carlo (PICMC) simulations of triggered three-electrode gas switches using dry air as a gas (at pressures greater than 1 AT M). In such switches the AK gap voltage is set slightly below the breakdown threshold. A voltage pulse applied to a trigger needle placed in the AK gap allows breakdown to occur between, first, the trigger and anode, followed by the trigger and cathode. We demonstrate that a fully kinetic PICMC approach can be used to follow the entire evolution of the switch, from the initial avalanche and streamer formation up to the fully conducting phase. We utilize an 18-species air chemistry model which is shown to agree with swarm parameters (breakdown threshold, drift velocity) obtained by experiment. Photon transport and photoionization are also included to permit the modeling of cathode directed streamers. This computational model will be used to help design closing switches for pulsed-power systems.

The modern high current, high voltage pulsed accelerators utilize vacuum-post-hole convolutes to add the current of a number of parallel self Magnetic Insulated Transmission Lines (MITL) to a single one located very close to the centrally located load. The reason of course of using several parallel MITL's to transfer the current pulse from large, ~1.5 m, radii to the 1-2 cm load is to reduce the transfer inductance. For example, the vacuum chamber of the 24-26-MA Z machine has a 1.45-m radius vacuum section containing four parallel conical MITLs merging into one 6cm radial disc MITL adjacent to the centrally located load via a double post-hole convolute array located at 7.62 cm from the axis. Although special care has been taken to reduce the electrical stresses on the cathode hole surfaces in order to avoid electron emission, substantial current losses, 4-6 MA, are observed most probably due to plasma formation and the unavoidable magnetic nulls. In the proposed experiments we will study the behavior of only one convolute using the MYKONOS-V driver. MYKONOS-V is a Linear Transformer Driver (LTD) voltage adder composed of 5 nominally 1-MA cavities connected in series. The voltage adder radial A-K cavity is deionized water insulated. The experimental set-up is designed in such a way to reach conditions on the convolute very similar to those existing on Z. Most importantly, in contrast to Z, it provides full view of the convolute for optical and spectroscopic imaging and gives the flexibility and freedom to study various options in an effort to reduce the convolute losses without affecting the day-to-day Z experiments. This is going to be a dedicated convolute study experiment. The hardware design, numerical simulations and proposed diagnostics will be presented and discussed.

MHD models of imploding loads fielded on the Z accelerator are typically driven by reduced or simplified circuit representations of the generator. The performance of many of the imploding loads is critically dependent on the current and power delivered to them, so may be strongly influenced by the generators response to their implosion. Current losses diagnosed in the transmission lines approaching the load are further known to limit the energy delivery, while exhibiting some load dependence. Through comparing the convolute performance of a wide variety of short pulse Z loads we parameterize a convolute loss resistance applicable between different experiments. We incorporate this, and other current loss terms into a transmission line representation of the Z vacuum section. We then apply this model to study the current delivery to a wide variety of wire array and MagLif style liner loads.

Several magnetized liner inertial fusion (MagLIF) experiments have been conducted on the Z accelerator at Sandia National Laboratories since late 2013. Measurements of the primary DD (2.45 MeV) neutrons for these experiments suggest that the neutron production is thermonuclear. Primary DD yields up to 3e12 with ion temperatures ~2-3 keV have been achieved. Measurements of the secondary DT (14 MeV) neutrons indicate that the fuel is significantly magnetized. Measurements of down-scattered neutrons from the beryllium liner suggest ρRliner ~ 1g/cm2. Neutron bang times, estimated from neutron time-of-flight (nTOF) measurements, coincide with peak x-ray production. Furthermore, plans to improve and expand the Z neutron diagnostic suite include neutron burn-history diagnostics, increased sensitivity and higher precision nTOF detectors, and neutron recoil-based yield and spectral measurements.

The implosions of initially solid beryllium liners (tubes) have been imaged with penetrating radiography through to stagnation. These novel radiographic data reveal a high degree of azimuthal correlation in the evolving magneto-Rayleigh-Taylor structure at times just prior to (and during) stagnation, providing stringent constraints on the simulation tools used by the broader high energy density physics and inertial confinement fusion communities. To emphasize this point, comparisons to 2D and 3D radiation magnetohydrodynamics simulations are also presented. Both agreement and substantial disagreement have been found, depending on how the liner's initial outer surface finish was modeled. The various models tested, and the physical implications of these models are discussed. These comparisons exemplify the importance of the experimental data obtained.

Since October 2007 Sandia National Laboratories has operated the refurbished Z machine at an improved load current of 26 MA yielding 400 TW of x-ray power. The current pulse shape to the load is controlled by 36 independently timed laser triggered gas switches. As part of the refurbishment effort, a fiber coupled laser spark detector system has been installed which is able to detect the laser generated plasma in situ inside the trigger section of the high voltage switch. In this paper we describe how this detection system can be used to characterize the discharge dynamics of these 5.9 MV, 820 kA switches.