Effect of radial-electric-field polarity on wire-array Z-pinch dynamics

The formation of plasma in wire-array Z-pinch experiments was found to depend upon the polarity of the radial-electric field near the wires. Reversing the radial-electric field midway along the length of an array resulted in the ablation rate of one-half of the array being reduced by 50%, significan...

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Published inPhysical review letters Vol. 95; no. 13; p. 135001
Main Authors Bland, S N, Lebedev, S V, Chittenden, J P, Ampleford, D J, Bott, S C, Gómez, J A, Haines, M G, Hall, G N, Hammer, D A, Mitchell, I H, Palmer, J B A
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 23.09.2005
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Summary:The formation of plasma in wire-array Z-pinch experiments was found to depend upon the polarity of the radial-electric field near the wires. Reversing the radial-electric field midway along the length of an array resulted in the ablation rate of one-half of the array being reduced by 50%, significantly delaying the start of its implosion and altering its acceleration towards the axis. The observed phenomena cannot be explained by the standard magnetohydrodynamic models of array behavior, suggesting that effects such as electron emission may be important, especially during wire initiation.
ISSN:0031-9007
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevLett.95.135001