54th Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Plasma Physics
Volume 57, Number 12
Monday–Friday, October 29–November 2 2012;
Providence, Rhode Island
Session QI3: Z-pinch, HED Magnetic Fields
3:00 PM–5:00 PM,
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Room: Ballroom BC
Chair: Mingsheng Wei, General Atomics
Abstract ID: BAPS.2012.DPP.QI3.1
Abstract: QI3.00001 : Beryllium liner implosion experiments on the Z accelerator in preparation for Magnetized Liner Inertial Fusion (MagLIF)*
3:00 PM–3:30 PM
Preview Abstract
Abstract
Author:
Ryan D. McBride
(Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM)
Magnetized Liner Inertial Fusion (MagLIF) [1] is a concept that involves
using a pulsed electrical current to implode an initially-solid, cylindrical
metal tube (liner) filled with preheated and magnetized fusion fuel. One-
and two-dimensional simulations predict that if sufficient liner integrity
can be maintained throughout the implosion, then significant fusion yield
($>$100 kJ) is possible on the 25-MA, 100-ns Z accelerator. The greatest
threat to the liner integrity is the Magneto-Rayleigh-Taylor (MRT)
instability, which first develops on the outer liner surface, and then works
its way inward toward the inner surface throughout the implosion.
Two-dimensional simulations predict that a thick liner, with
R$_{outer}$/$\Delta $R=6, should be robust enough to keep the MRT
instability from overly disrupting the fusion burn at stagnation. This talk
will present the first experiments designed to study a thick,
MagLIF-relevant liner implosion through to stagnation on Z [2]. The use of
beryllium for the liner material enabled us to obtain penetrating
monochromatic (6151$\pm $0.5 eV) radiographs that reveal information about
the entire volume of the imploding liner. This talk will also discuss
experiments that investigated Z's pulse-shaping capabilities to either
shock- or shocklessly-compress the imploding liners [3], as well as our most
recent experiments that used 2-micron-thick aluminum sleeves to provide
high-contrast tracers for the positions and states of the inner surfaces of
the imploding beryllium liners. The radiography data to be presented provide
stringent constraints on the simulation tools used by the broader high
energy density physics and inertial confinement fusion communities, where
quantitative areal density measurements, particularly of convergent fusion
targets, are relatively scarce. We will also present power-flow tests of the
MagLIF load hardware as well as new micro-B-dot measurements of the
azimuthal drive magnetic field that penetrates the initially vacuum filled
interior of the liner during the implosion.\\[4pt]
*This work was conducted in collaboration with S. A. Slutz, C. A. Jennings,
D. B. Sinars, M. E. Cuneo, M. C. Herrmann, R. W. Lemke, M. R. Martin, R. A.
Vesey, K. J. Peterson, A. B. Sefkow, C. Nakhleh, et al., B. E. Blue {\&}
General Atomics, J. B. Greenly {\&} Cornell University, and the Z {\&} ZBL
operations, diagnostics, engineering, load hardware, and target teams.
Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and
operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin
Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security
Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.
\\[4pt]
[1] S.A. Slutz, et al., Phys. Plasmas \textbf{17}, 056303 (2010).\\[0pt]
[2] R.D. McBride et al., ``Penetrating radiography of imploding and
stagnating beryllium liners on the Z accelerator,'' submitted to Phys. Rev.
Lett. (May 2012).\\[0pt]
[3] M. R. Martin, R. W. Lemke, R. D. McBride, et al., Phys. Plasmas
\textbf{19}, 056310 (2012).
To cite this abstract, use the following reference: http://meetings.aps.org/link/BAPS.2012.DPP.QI3.1