Publications

The recent development of Z pinch drivers for producing intense radiation envkomn~ enables study of physical and mechanical properties of condensed materials in regimes previously inaccessible in the Mm-am-y. With Z pinch radiation sources, it is possible fo subject mm-sized sampies to pianar compressions of a fe w Mbar. Tie-resolved velocity interferometry was used to perform the first shock loading and unloading profiles in Al and Be for ablatively driven shock$s to 3 Mbar and the first iseritropic loading of iron specimens to 300 War. A principai goai of our shock physics program is to establish a capability to make accurats eqwion of state measurements on the Z pulsed radiation source. The Z accelerator is a source of intense radntion, which can be used to drive ablative shocks for E(X$ studies. With this source, ablative muki-Mbar shocks can be produced to study materials over the range of interest to both weapons and ICF physics programs. In developing the capability to diagnose these types of studies on Z, techniques commonly used in conventional impact generated experiments were implemented. The primary diagnostic presently being used for this work is ve"!ocity interferoinetry, VL%4R, [2] which not only provides Hugoniot particle velocity measurements, but also measurements of non-shock EOS measummenu,, such as isentropic compression. In addition to VKSAR capability, methods for measuring shock velocity have also been developed for shock studies on Z. When used in conjunction with the Rankine-Hugoniot jump conditions, material response at high temperatures and pressures can be inferred. The next section discusses the basic approach for conducting EOS experiments on Z for both shock loading and istmtropic compression on the Z accelerator.

The Sandia Z machine is a source of intense radiation which can be used to drive ablative shocks for equation of state studies. In developing the capability to diagnose these types of studies on Z, techniques commonly used in conventional impact generated experiments were leveraged. The primary diagnostic transferred was velocity interferome~, VLSAR, [1] which not only provides Hugoniot particle velocity measurements, but also indications of shock stability and wave attenuation. In addition to a VISAR capability on the Z machine, methods for measuring shock velocity have been developed. When these measured parameters are used in conjunction with the Rankine-Hugoniot jump conditions, [2] material response at high temperatures and pressures can be inferred. With sample sizes used on Z being much smaller than those fielded in typical impact experiments, temporal resolution and methods of interfacing the diagnostics with the targets had to be improved. In this paper, a "standard" equation of state experiment, associated diagnostics, and some recent results in aluminum and beryllium will be discussed.

Shockwave techniques have been used for decades to study the dynamic states of matter in temperature and pressure regimes inaccessible by other methods. These techniques have been employed in a wide variety of scientific, military, and commercial applications. A principal scientific objective has been to determine high-pressure equations of state (EOS) to ultra-high pressures; pressures of tens of Mbar have been reported for several materials. Most recently, these methods have been used for studies of thermophysical properties under shock compression, including phase transition kinetics, and mechanical properties, such as the high-pressure yield strength. In this paper, a brief discussion of recent developments in high velocity launchers is given. Advances in techniques for subjecting materials to a wide range of loading conditions is presented, including selected illustrations of shockwave measurements to Mbar pressures. 54 refs.

Hypervelocity launchers are used to study the high-pressure equation of state of materials in regimes inaccessible by other methods. Two-stage light gas guns have been extremely useful for these applications, but have a practical velocity limit of about 8--9 km/s for impact studies. In this paper, we describe a three-stage launcher consisting of a two-stage light gas gun combined with a third-stage railgun, which overcomes previous velocity limitations pertaining to two-stage guns. This launcher is being developed for operation to 15 km/s and has achieved projectile velocities of 7.2 km/s to date. 10 refs., 9 figs., 1 tab.