Studies on the implosion of pinches with tailored density profiles

This paper presents the results of experimental and theoretical studies of imploding metal-puff Z-pinches. The experiments were carried out on the MIG high-current pulse generator at a current level of about 2 MA and a current rise time of about 100 ns. A plasma gun was used to produce a plasma column with a tailored density profile through which the main electromagnetic pulse of the MIG generator was passed. The experiments have shown that pinches of this type, being compressed, are resistant to dynamic magneto-Rayleigh–Taylor (MRT) instabilities. The experimental results were analyzed using one-dimensional radiation magnetohydrodynamic simulations. It has been shown that in a pinch with a tailored density profile, the formation of a high-temperature plasma at the pinch axis and the generation of x-rays occur at the stagnation stage, i.e. under conditions close to Bennett equilibrium. At this stage, flute-like MRT instabilities develop, causing the pinch to decay.