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(IFP/16) Cryogenic Deuterium Z-Pinch and Wire Array Z-Pinch Studies at Imperial College

M. G. Haines, R. Aliaga-Rossel, F. N. Beg, A. Bell, S. Channon, J. P. Chittenden, M. Coppins, A. E. Dangor, D. F. Howell, N. G. Kassapakis, S. V. Lebedev, I. H. Mitchell, J. Ruiz-Camacho, J. F. Worley and D. Zdravkovic

The Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College, London SW7 2BZ, U. K.

I. Ross
A.W.E. Aldermaston, Reading, RG7 4PR, U. K.

Abstract.  Z-pinch experiments using cryogenic deuterium fibre loads have been carried out on the MAGPIE generator at currents up to 1.4MA. M=0 instabilities in the corona caused plasma expansion and disruption before the plasma could enter the collionless Large ion Larmor radius regime. For the last 12 months we have studied Aluminium wire array implosions using laser probing, optical streaks and gated X-ray images. Plasma from the wires in accelerated to the axis as radial plasma streams with uncorrelated m=0 instabilities superimposed. Later in the discharge a global Rayleigh-Taylor (R-T) instability develops. Single and double aluminium and tungsten wire shots were conducted at 150kA. 2-D and 3-D simulations and a heuristic model of wire arrays will be presented along with theories on the combined MHD/R-T instability and sheared axial flow generation by large ion Larmor radius effects.

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