DEVELOPING DENSE PLASMA FOCUS CAPABILITIES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN*

University-scale z-pinch experiments can inform high-value experiments conducted at Sandia. A Dense Plasma Focus (DPF) is one such z-pinch, involving a rapid plasma acceleration and compression resulting in a large number of fusion reactions [1]. These reactions are a result of micro-pinch instabilities– regions of extremely high pressure and temperature. Developing a better understanding of micro-pinch behavior could advance the field of high-energy-density physics.

As such, we are developing DPF capabilities for integration into the 1-MA, 100-ns MAIZE pulsed power facility. The DPF design is simulated with the Lee model. To modernize the platform, we rewrote the Lee model in Python (the original is written as a Microsoft Excel macro in Visual Basic). Additional simulations were carried out using PERSEUS, an extended magnetohydrodynamics code. This computational work will inform the construction of the DPF. We will report on the progress of the DPF development.

[1] M. Krishnan, “The Dense Plasma Focus: A Versatile Dense Pinch for Diverse Applications”, IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci. 40, 3189 (2012).