Abstract
High-resolution laser diagnostics at the wavelength of 266 nm were applied for the investigation of pinches at the 1-MA generator. The internal structure of the stagnated pinches was observed in unprecedented detail. A dense pinch with strong instabilities was seen inside the column of the trailing plasma. Kink instability, disruptions, and micropinches were seen at the peak of the x-ray pulse and later in time. The three-dimensional structure of the stagnated pinch depends on the initial wire-array configuration and implosion scenario. Small-scale density perturbations were found in the precursor plasma and in the stagnated pinch. Development of instabilities is in agreement with three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations.
- Received 4 July 2011
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.107.165002
© 2011 American Physical Society