Further investigations of radiative collapse in a z-pinch

Results are presented from further modelling of radiative collapse in a z-pinch coupled to an external circuit. A zero-D analytic model is used to highlight the importance of allowing the Coulomb logarithm to vary in time. The problem is extended to 1-D by the use of an MHD Lagrangian code. The effects of the distributions of the spatially dependent variables upon the dynamics of the pinch are found to be particularly important during the radiative collapse phase where they allow the pinch to compress to dramatically higher densities than was previously thought. (author)