Investigation of Implosion Dynamics and Stagnation of Tungsten Wire Arrays With Varied Wire Number and Constant Total Mass
Abstract
We have just completed an experimental campaign to study the initiation, implosion dynamics, and radiation yield of tungsten wire arrays as a function of the wire number. The wire array dimensions and mass were those of interest for the z-pinch driven ICF program. An optimization study of the x-ray emitted peak power, rise time, and FWHM was effectuated by varying the wire number while keeping the total array mass constant and equal to ∼5.8mg. The driver utilized is the ∼20-MA Z accelerator in its usual short pulse mode of 100ns. We studied single arrays of 20-mm diameter and 1-cm height. The smaller wire number studied was 30 and the largest 600. It appears that 600 is the highest achievable wire number with present technology. Radial and axial diagnostics were utilized including crystal monochromatic x-ray backlighter. An optimum wire number of ∼370 was observed, which is very close to the routinely utilized 300 for the ICF program in Sandia. Experimental results will be presented and compared with numerical simulation
- Publication:
-
APS Division of Plasma Physics Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- October 2003
- Bibcode:
- 2003APS..DPPKO2008M