Dense Plasma Focus Z-pinches for High Gradient Particle Acceleration

The final Z-pinch stage of a Dense Plasma Focus (DPF) could be used as a simple, compact, and potentially rugged plasma-based high-gradient accelerator with fields at the 100 MV/m level. In this paper we review previously published experimental beam data that indicate the feasibility of such an DPF-based accelerator, qualitatively discuss the physical acceleration processes in terms of the induced voltages, and as a starting point examine the DPF acceleration potential by numerically applying a self-consistent DPF system model that includes the induced voltage from both macroscopic and instability driven plasma dynamics. Applications to the remote detection of high explosives and a multi-staged acceleration concept are briefly discussed.