Two-dimensional numerical simulation of an inductively driven imploding foil plasma

A 1.9-MJ capacitor bank with intermediate inductive energy storage for pulse shortening has been used to implode a thin cylindrical sheath in a z-pinch geometry. Theoretical investigations of two-dimensional axisymmetric effects in the r-z plane, which lead to a thickening of the sheath, have been made using a two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamics code. The results of several calculations are presented which demonstrate how imperfections in the initial sheath geometry affect development of the acceleration-driven magnetohydrodynamic Rayleigh–Taylor instability.