The physics of the high-density Z-pinch

The fiber-initiated High-Density Z-pinch (HDZP) is a novel concept in which fusion plasma could be produced by applying 2 MV along a thin filament of frozen deuterium, 20-30 μm in diameter and 5-10 cm long. The megamp-range currents that result would ohmically heat the fiber to fusion temperatures in 100 ns while maintaining nearly constant radius. The plasma pressure would be held stable by the self-magnetic field for many radial sound transit times during the current-rise phase while, in the case of D-T, a significant fraction of the fiber undergoes thermonuclear fusion. The paper presents results of Los Alamos HDZP studies. Existing experiments and experiments in preparation are described. A succession of theoretical studies, including 1D self-similar and numerical studies of the hot plasma phase. 1D and 2D numerical studies of the cold startup phase, and 3D numerical studies of stability in the hot regime, are presented. (author). 9 refs, 4 figs