Validation of MHD Simulations Using Spectroscopically Characterized O Gas-Puff Z-Pinches.*

Gas-puff z-pinches have been studied for decades for a variety of applications ranging from controlled thermonuclear fusion to its use as a bright X-ray source. Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations in conjunction with experimental data are necessary to study the physical processes at play throughout the dynamic Z-pinch implosion process. Here we present a comprehensive parameterization of gas-puff z-pinches carried out on a 300 kA peak current, 1.6 us rise time driver at the Weizmann Institute of Science. Gas discharges made with O$_{\mathrm{2}}$ included simultaneous spectroscopic measurements of electron density (n$_{\mathrm{e}})$, temperature (T$_{\mathrm{e}})$, and azimuthal (B$_{\mathrm{\theta }})$ and axial (B$_{\mathrm{z}})_{\mathrm{\thinspace }}$magnetic fields. The experimental parameters were juxtaposed against results from one and two-dimensional MHD simulations conducted using HYDRA to explore the underlying physics.