Gold Z-pinches on SATURN

The author shows data from gold z-pinch implosions on the Sandia Saturn accelerator at current levels of 10 MA. The x-ray yields and powers from these experiments have reached 600 kJ and 20 TW, respectively. These data differ dramatically from identical experiments using materials such as aluminum. The final pinch diameter, plasma temperature, overall radiation pulse width, and spectrum are also quite different than aluminum z-pinch results. The z-pinch load consists of a wire array 1.25 or 1.5 cm in diameter, 2-cm long with a variable number of wires (8-24). The total mass of the wire array is ∼1 mg. Calculations suggest that the maximum kinetic energy which can be delivered to the imploding load is ∼350 kJ. The total x-ray output of 600 kJ was significantly larger than the kinetic energy stored in the pinch. This result implies a non-kinetic source of energy. An estimate of the Spitzer resistivity gave a pinch resistance which, when coupled with the current in the load, could explain the difference between the total x-ray yield and the kinetic energy in the plasma