Publications
Seeded perturbations in wire array z-pinches
The impact of 3D structure on wire array z-pinch dynamics is a topic of current interest, and has been studied by the controlled seeding of wire perturbations. First, Al wires were etched at Sandia, creating 20% radial perturbations with variable axial wavelength. Observations of magnetic bubble formation in the etched regions during experiments on the MAGPIE accelerator are discussed and compared to 3D MHD modeling. Second, thin NaF coatings of 1 mm axial extent were deposited on Al wires and fielded on the Zebra accelerator. Little or no axial transport of the NaF spectroscopic dopant was observed in spatially resolved K-shell spectra, which places constraints on particle diffusivity in dense z-pinch plasmas. Finally, technology development for seeding perturbations is discussed.