Development of instabilities in wire-array Z pinches

3D resistive MHD simulations are used to show how the properties of the "fundamental" mode of modulated ablation in wire-array Z pinches, are consistent with the growth of a modified m=0-like instability. The modulation wavelength, structure, and evolution is found to be governed by the magnetic topology and is largely independent of the initial conditions. The perturbation amplitude as a function of wire number is shown to be consistent with experimental x-ray power scaling. Simulations of an array of helical wires show a substantial reduction in the amplitude of the instability.     

Radiation energetics of ICF-relevant wire-array Z pinches

Short-implosion-time 20-mm diameter, 300-wire tungsten arrays maintain high peak x-ray powers despite a reduction in peak current from 19 to 13 MA. The main radiation pulse on tests with a 1-mm on-axis rod may be explained by the observable j x B work done during the implosion, but bare-axis tests require sub-mm convergence of the magnetic field not seen except perhaps in >1 keV emission. The data include the first measurement of the imploding mass density profile of a wire-array Z pinch that further constrains simulation models.     

Mitigation of the plasma-implosion inhomogeneity in starlike wire-array Z pinches

Implosions in starlike triple and quadruple wire arrays were investigated in a 1 MA Zebra generator. Implosion in these loads is directed along the rays of the star and cascades from wire to wire to the center. Shadowgraphy shows improved homogeneity of imploding plasma and mitigation of instabilities. Despite the low azimuthal symmetry, starlike wire arrays produce a stable x-ray pulse with the highest peak power of >0.4 TW and the shortest duration of 8-12 ns among different types of tested loads. This can be linked to stabilization of instabilities due to the multiple nesting.     

Experimental study on imploding characteristics of wire-array Z pinches on Qiangguang-1 facility

To investigate the imploding characteristics of cylindrical wire array, experiments with load current varying from 1.5\,MA to 1.7\,MA were carried out on the Qiangguang-1 facility. The complicated temporal-spatial distribution of x-ray radiation was measured by the one-dimensional (1D) x-ray imaging system. Other diagnostic equipments including the x-ray power meter (XRPM) and the time-integrated pinhole camera were used to record time-resolved x-ray power pulse and pinhole x-ray images. Analysis shows that the fast leading edge of the local x-ray radiation pulse is of primary importance in sharpening x-ray power pulse rather than the temporal synchrony and the spatial uniformity of implosion. Experimental results indicated that the better axial imploding synchrony, the faster the increase of x-ray power for an array consisting of 32 tungsten wires of 5\mum diameter than for the others, and the higher the x-ray radiation power with maximal convergence ratio (r_0/r_1) of 10.5. A `zipper-like' effect of x-ray radiation extending from the anode to the cathode was also observed.     

Dynamics of mass transport and magnetic fields in low-wire-number-array Z pinches

The dynamics of mass transport were observed in a wire array implosion with multiframe laser probing. Plasma bubbles arise at breaks in the wires. Interferometry shows that the leading edge of the bubbles brings material to the axis of the array. The speed of this material was measured to be > or =3 x 10(7) cm/s during the wire array implosion. A shock was observed during the collision of the bubbles with the precursor. The Faraday effect indicates current flowing in breaks on the wires. The current switches from the imploding mass to the on-axis plasma column at the beginning of the x-ray pulse.     

Measurement of the ionization state and electron temperature of plasma during the ablation stage of a wire-array Z pinch using absorption spectroscopy

Wire-array plasmas were investigated in the nonradiative ablation stage via x-ray absorption spectroscopy. A laser-produced Sm plasma was used to backlight Al wire arrays. The Sm spectrum was simultaneously observed by two spectrometers: one recorded the unattenuated spectrum and the other the transmission spectrum with 1.45-1.55 keV K-shell absorption lines. Analysis of absorption spectra revealed electron temperature in the range of 10-30 eV and the presence of F-, O-, N- and C-like Al ions in the absorbing plasma. A comparison of this electron temperature with the postprocessed absorption spectra of a 2D MHD simulation yields results in general agreement with the data analysis.     

Study of three-dimensional structure in wire-array z pinches by controlled seeding of axial modulations in wire radius

Three-dimensional perturbations have been seeded in wire-array z pinches by etching 15 microm diameter aluminum wires to introduce 20% modulations in radius with a controlled axial wavelength. These perturbations seed additional three-dimensional imploding structures that are studied experimentally and with magnetohydrodynamics calculations, highlighting the role of current path nonuniformity in perturbation-induced magnetic bubble formation.     

Role of nonlinear coupling and density fluctuations in magnetic-fluctuation-induced particle transport

Three-wave nonlinear coupling among spatial Fourier modes of density and magnetic fluctuations is directly measured in a magnetically confined toroidal plasma. Density fluctuations are observed to gain (lose) energy from (to) either equilibrium or fluctuating fields depending on the mode number. Experiments indicate that nonlinear interactions alter the phase relation between density and magnetic fluctuations, leading to strong particle transport.     

Effect of core-corona plasma structure on seeding of instabilities in wire array Z pinches

We present the first measurements by x-ray radiography of the development of instabilities during the implosion phase of wire array Z pinches. The seeding of perturbations on the dense core of each wire is provided by nonuniform sweeping of the low-density coronal plasma from the cores by the global JxB force. The spatial scale of these perturbations ( approximately 0.5 mm for Al and approximately 0.25 mm for W) is determined by the size of the wire cores ( approximately 0.25 mm for Al and approximately 0.1 mm for W). A qualitative change in implosion dynamics, with transition to 0D-like trajectory, was observed in Al arrays when the ratio of interwire gap to wire core size was decreased to approximately 3.     

气温和颗粒密度对声场中颗粒动力学影响的数值模拟

综合考虑黏性夹带力、Basset力、虚拟质量力和压力梯度力,建立颗粒在声场中的动力学模型,利用变步长四阶RungeKutta算法和二阶隐式Adams插值算法对颗粒的受力和运动进行数值模拟。将模拟和实验得到的颗粒运动特性进行对比,验证数值模拟的正确性。在此基础上,研究气温和颗粒密度对颗粒动力学的影响规律。结果表明,黏性夹带力对颗粒运动起主导作用;气温升高,压力梯度力与黏性夹带力之间的相位差减小,Basset力、虚拟质量力与黏性夹带力之间的相位差增大。研究还发现,气温较低时,颗粒密度对颗粒运动有重要影响,夹带系数随着密度的增加而迅速下降;气温较高时,颗粒密度对颗粒运动的影响较小,颗粒位移振幅和夹带系数相对低温时明显增加。     

Suppression of the ablation phase in wire array Z pinches using a tailored current prepulse

A new wire array configuration has been used to create thin shell-like implosions in a cylindrical array. The setup introduces a ~5 kA, ~25 ns current prepulse followed by a ~140 ns current-free interval before the application of the main (~1 MA) current pulse. The prepulse volumetrically heats the wires which expand to ~1 mm diameter leaving no dense wire core and without development of instabilities. The main current pulse then ionizes all the array mass resulting in suppression of the ablation phase, an accelerating implosion, and no trailing mass. Rayleigh-Taylor instability growth in the imploding plasma is inferred to be seeded by μm-scale perturbations on the surface of the wires. The absence of wire cores is found to be the critical factor in altering the implosion dynamics.     

Measurement of temperature fluctuations and anomalous transport in the SINP tokamak

Temperature fluctuations have been measured in the edge region of the SINP tokamak. We find that these fluctuations have a comparatively high level (30–40%) and a broad spectrum. The temperature fluctuations show a quite high coherence with density and potential fluctuations and contribute considerably to the anomalous particle flux.     

Optical Thomson scattering measurements of plasma parameters in the ablation stage of wire array Z pinches

A Thomson scattering diagnostic has been used to measure the parameters of cylindrical wire array Z pinch plasmas during the ablation phase. The scattering operates in the collective regime (α>1) allowing spatially localized measurements of the ion or electron plasma temperatures and of the plasma bulk velocity. The ablation flow is found to accelerate towards the axis reaching peak velocities of 1.2-1.3×10(7) cm/s in aluminium and ～1×10(7) cm/s in tungsten arrays. Precursor ion temperature measurements made shortly after formation are found to correspond to the kinetic energy of the converging ablation flow.     

Pattern formation and localized structures in reaction-diffusion systems with non-Fickian transport

We study the robust dynamical behaviors of reaction-diffusion systems where the transport gives rise to non-Fickian diffusion. A prototype model describing the deposition of molecules in a surface is used to show the generic appearance of Turing structures which can coexist with homogeneous states giving rise to localized structures through the pinning mechanism. The characteristic lengths of these structures are in the nanometer region in agreement with recent experimental observations.     

Measurement of density, temperature, and electrical conductivity of a shock-compressed nonideal nitrogen plasma in the megabar pressure range

Kinematic and thermodynamic parameters of shock-compressed liquid nitrogen are measured behind the front of a plane shock wave using plane wave and hemispherical shock wave generators. In these experiments, high values of compression parameters (shock-compressed hydrogen density? ≈ 3.25 g/cm³ and temperature T≈ 56000 K at a pressure of P ≈ 265 GPa) are attained. The density, pressure, temperature, and electrical conductivity of the nonideal plasma of shock-compressed liquid nitrogen are measured. A nearly isochoric behavior of the nitrogen shock adiabat is observed in the pressure range P = 100–300 GPa. The thermodynamics of shock-compressed nitrogen is an alyzed using the model of the equation of state in the quasi-chemical representation (SAHA code) as well as the semiempirical wide-range equation of state developed at the Institute of Experimental Physics. Experimental results are interpreted on the basis of calculations as the fixation of the boundary of transition of shock-compressed nitrogen from the polymer phase to the state of a strongly nonideal plasma at P ≈ 100 GPa, ? ≈ 3.4 g/cm³.     

Edge-localized-mode--induced transport of impurity density, energy, and momentum

High temporal and spatial resolution measurements of impurity dynamics associated with an edge-localized mode (ELM) indicate that the ELM perturbation consists of two distinct parts: a rapid (< 300 micros) expulsion of impurity density at the time of the instability followed by a slower time scale (< 1 ms) decrease in the ion temperature. While the density perturbation remains nearly constant over a wide range of plasma collisionality, the temperature perturbation decreases as the collisionality increases. Analysis of the radial electric field E(r) evolution indicates that the E(r) well normally present in H-mode plasmas is modified strongly by the ELM and that the size of the temperature perturbation is correlated with the associated change in the E x B shear.