Planar wire array performance scaling at multi-MA levels on the Saturn generator

A series of twelve shots were performed on the Saturn generator in order to conduct an initial evaluation of the planar wire array z-pinch concept at multi-MA current levels. Planar wire arrays, in which all wires lie in a single plane, could offer advantages over standard cylindrical wire arrays for driving hohlraums for inertial confinement fusion studies as the surface area of the electrodes in the load region (which serve as hohlraum walls) may be substantially reduced. In these experiments, mass and array width scans were performed using tungsten wires. A maximum total radiated x-ray power of 10 ± 2 TW was observed with 20 mm wide arrays imploding in ∼100 ns at a load current of ∼3 MA, limited by the high inductance. Decreased power in the 4-6 TW range was observed at the smallest width studied (8 mm). 10 kJ of Al K-shell x-rays were obtained in one Al planar array fielded. This report will discuss the zero-dimensional calculations used to design the loads, the results of the experiments, and potential future research to determine if planar wire arrays will continue to scale favorably at current levels typical of the Z machine. Implosion dynamics will be discussed, including x-ray self-emission imaging used to infer the velocity of the implosion front and the potential role of trailing mass. Resistive heating has been previously cited as the cause for enhanced yields observed in excess of jxB-coupled energy. The analysis presented in this report suggests that jxB-coupled energy may explain as much as the energy in the first x-ray pulse but not the total yield, which is similar to our present understanding of cylindrical wire array behavior