An X-pinch load driven by an intense current pulse (>100 kA in ∼100 ns) can result in the formation of a small radius, runaway compressional micro-pinch. A micro-pinch is characterized by a hot (>1 keV), current-driven (>100 kA), high-density plasma column (near solid density) with a small neck diameter (1–10 µm), a short axial extent (<1 mm), and a short duration (≲1 ns). With material pressures often well into the multi-Mbar regime, a micro-pinch plasma often radiates an intense, sub-ns burst of sub-keV to multi-keV x rays. A low-density coronal plasma immediately surrounding the dense plasma neck could potentially shunt current away from the neck and thus reduce the magnetic drive pressure applied to the neck. To study the current distribution in the coronal plasma, a Faraday rotation imaging diagnostic (1064 nm) capable of producing simultaneous high-magnification polarimetric and interferometric images has been developed for the MAIZE facility at the University of Michigan. Designed with a variable magnification (1–10×), this diagnostic achieves a spatial resolution of ∼35 µm, which is useful for resolving the ∼100-μm-scale coronal plasma immediately surrounding the dense core. This system has now been used on a reduced-output MAIZE (100–200 kA, 150 ns) to assess the radial distribution of drive current immediately surrounding the dense micro-pinch neck. The total current enclosed was found to increase as a function of radius, r, from a value of ≈50±25 kA at r ≈ 140 µm (at the edge of the dense neck) to a maximal value of ≈150±75 kA for r ≥ 225 µm. This corresponds to a peak magnetic drive pressure of ≈75±50 kbar at r ≈ 225 µm. The limitations of these measurements are discussed in the paper.

ABSTRACT We report on the results of a simulation-based study of colliding magnetized plasma flows. Our set-up mimics pulsed power laboratory astrophysical experiments but, with an appropriate frame change, is relevant to astrophysical jets with internal velocity variations. We track the evolution of the interaction region where the two flows collide. Cooling via radiative losses is included in the calculation. We systematically vary plasma beta (βm) in the flows, the strength of the cooling (Λ0), and the exponent (α) of temperature dependence of the cooling function. We find that for strong magnetic fields a counter-propagating jet called a ‘spine’ is driven by pressure from shocked toroidal fields. The spines eventually become unstable and break apart. We demonstrate how formation and evolution of the spines depend on initial flow parameters and provide a simple analytical model that captures the basic features of the flow.

We present a detailed characterization of the structure and evolution of differentially rotating plasmas driven on the MAGPIE pulsed-power generator (1.4 MA peak current, 240 ns rise time). The experiments were designed to simulate physics relevant to accretion discs and jets on laboratory scales. A cylindrical aluminium wire array Z pinch enclosed by return posts with an overall azimuthal off-set angle was driven to produce ablation plasma flows that propagate inwards in a slightly off-radial trajectory, injecting mass, angular momentum and confining ram pressure to a rotating plasma column on the axis. However, the plasma is free to expand axially, forming a collimated, differentially rotating axial jet that propagates at ${\approx }100\,{\rm km}\,{\rm s}<^>{-1}$. The density profile of the jet corresponds to a dense shell surrounding a low-density core, which is consistent with the centrifugal barrier effect being sustained along the jet's propagation. We show analytically that, as the rotating plasma accretes mass, conservation of mass and momentum implies plasma radial growth scaling as $r \propto t<^>{1/3}$. As the characteristic moment of inertia increases, the rotation velocity is predicted to decrease and settle on a characteristic value ${\approx }20\,{\rm km}\,{\rm s}<^>{-1}$. We find that both predictions are in agreement with Thomson scattering and optical self-emission imaging measurements.

Recent pulsed-power experiments have demonstrated the formation of astrophysically relevant, differentially rotating plasmas. Key features of the plasma flows are the discovery of a quasi-Keplerian rotation curve, the launching of highly collimated angular-momentum-transporting axial jets, and a hollow density structure sustained by the centrifugal barrier effect. In this communication, we discuss several features of the plasma structure in these experiments through order-of-magnitude models. First, we show that the observed rotation velocity would produce a centrifugal force strong enough to support the hollow density profile. Second, we show that the axial jet should diverge much faster than what was observed, were it not for a magnetized halo with 3 T which surrounds the jet and exerts pressure on the interface. Finally, we discuss the temperature structure in the axial jet and plasma halo. We show that a 3-T magnetic field would also suppress electron heat conduction, leading to the flat profile observed experimentally. We also find that the axial jet is efficiently radiatively cooled, whereas the halo is not, which would explain the thermal decoupling between the two regions.

We summarise existing results and future avenues of research from a novel experimental platform [1] fielded on the MAGPIE pulsed-power generator (1.4 MA, 240 ns rise time). This platform uses the x-ray pulse emitted from a wire array z-pinch to drive plasma ablation from a target. The radiatively driven outflow has a uniform (quasi-1D) structure and expands into the ambient magnetic field produced by the z-pinch.

We present the development and first data from a platform to study collisionless shocks using a pulsed power driver. The setup fielded on the MAGPIE generator (1.4 MA, 500 ns current drive) at Imperial College utilizes two side-by-side inverse wire arrays to produce counter-streaming, supersonic flows of plasma ablated from metal wires. One (“over-massed”) wire array produces a steady flow of ablated background plasma. The second exploding wire array launches a piston-like current loop into this plasma with signficant velocity and advected magnetic field, to allow the reflection of oncoming particles. We analyse the interaction region using a diagnostic suite consisting of multi-frame self-emission cameras, laser interferometry and collective optical Thomson scattering.

In order to develop a better understanding of current losses in the magnetically insulated region of high-power pulsed power machines, it is crucial to be able to conduct experiments at scale in smaller facilities. Here, we present a novel experiment that has been tested on the MAGPIE driver at Imperial College. The targets are inexpensive and easy to customize for experiments ranging from power flow to warm dense matter. Simulations in COMSOL indicated electric fields of up to 600 MV/m and magnetic fields of up to 300 T could be produced on MAGPIE. In initial testing, Electric fields exceeding 100 MV/m and magnetic fields exceeding 50 T were generated, and both magnetically insulated transmission and plasma-shorted transmission were demonstrated.

We present results from pulsed-power driven differentially rotating plasma experiments designed to simulate physics relevant to astrophysical disks and jets. In these experiments, angular momentum is injected by the ram pressure of the ablation flows from a wire array Z pinch. In contrast to previous liquid metal and plasma experiments, rotation is not driven by boundary forces. Axial pressure gradients launch a rotating plasma jet upward, which is confined by a combination of ram, thermal, and magnetic pressure of a surrounding plasma halo. The jet has subsonic rotation, with a maximum rotation velocity 23±3  km/s. The rotational velocity profile is quasi-Keplerian with a positive Rayleigh discriminant κ^{2}∝r^{-2.8±0.8}  rad^{2}/s^{2}. The plasma completes 0.5-2 full rotations in the experimental time frame (∼150  ns).

Shock structures formed in supersonic plasmas colliding against conducting obstacles can be significantly affected by radiative cooling and magnetic fields, leading to instabilities and turbulence. Under these conditions, experimental measurements of plasma parameters are very difficult to perform using conventional laser-based diagnostics, such as shadowgraphy, schlieren and interferometry.

We present a study of subcritical shocks in a highly collisional laboratory plasma with a dynamically significant magnetic field. Shocks were produced by placing cylindrical obstacles into the supermagnetosonic ( $M_{{\rm MS}} \sim 1.9$ ) outflow from an inverse wire array z-pinch at the MAGPIE pulsed power facility ( $n_{e} \sim 8.5 \times 10^{17}\,{\rm cm}^{-3}$ , $v \sim 45\,{\rm km}\,{\rm s}^{-1}$ ). We demonstrate the existence of subcritical shocks in this regime and find that secondary stagnation shocks form in the downstream which we infer from interferometry and optical Thomson scattering measurements are hydrodynamic in nature. The subcritical shock width is found to be approximately equal to the resistive diffusion length and we demonstrate the absence of a jump in hydrodynamic parameters. Temperature measurements by collective optical Thomson scattering showed little temperature change across the subcritical shock ( ${<}10\,\%$ of the ion kinetic energy) which is consistent with a balance between adiabatic and Ohmic heating and radiative cooling. We demonstrate the absence of subcritical shocks when the obstacle diameter is less than the resistive diffusion length due to decoupling of the magnetic field from the plasma. These findings are supported by magnetohydrodynamic simulations using the Gorgon and AstroBEAR codes and discrepancies between the simulations and experiment are discussed.

Magnetic reconnection is a fundamental plasma physics process, which is potentially linked to the non-thermal acceleration of particles in explosive space and astrophysical events.

X-pinches, formed by driving intense current through the crossing of 2 or more wires, provide an excellent platform for the study of “micro-pinches” due to their propensity to generate a single micro-pinch at a predetermined location in space (i.e., where the wires cross) [1], [2]. Ideally, micro-pinches are areas of run-away compression to very small radii $(\sim 1\ \mu \mathrm{m})$ leading to pressures on the order of ~1 Gbar for currents on the order of ~0.1 MA. However, the fraction of the total current that is driven through the dense micro-pinch plasma at small radii versus that being shunted through the surrounding coronal plasma at larger radii is not well known. To allow for the study of X-pinches and their current distribution on the 1-MA MAIZE facility, a Faraday rotation imaging diagnostic (1064 nm) [3], as well as a corresponding modular load hardware, were developed. Presented is the status of these developments including preliminary experimental results characterizing X-pinches on the MAIZE LTD.

We study the structure of reverse shocks formed by the collision of supersonic, magnetized plasma flows driven by an inverse (or exploding) wire array with a planar conducting obstacle. We observe that the structure of these reverse shocks varies dramatically with wire material, despite the similar upstream flow velocities and mass densities. For aluminum wire arrays, the shock is sharp and well-defined, consistent with magneto-hydrodynamic theory. In contrast, we do not observe a well-defined shock using tungsten wires, and instead we see a broad region dominated by density fluctuations on a wide range of spatial scales. We diagnose these two very different interactions using interferometry, Thomson scattering, shadowgraphy, and a newly developed imaging refractometer that is sensitive to small deflections of the probing laser corresponding to small-scale density perturbations. We conclude that the differences in shock structure are most likely due to radiative cooling instabilities, which create small-scale density perturbations elongated along magnetic field lines in the tungsten plasma. These instabilities grow more slowly and are smoothed by thermal conduction in the aluminum plasma.

To better understand current losses in the MITL of high-power pulsed power machines, experiments may be conducted at scale in smaller facilities. However, on typical 1 MA peak current pulsed power drivers, it is difficult to produce the required current densities and magnetic fields. In this poster, we present a novel experiment that is being tested on the MAGPIE driver at Imperial College. Called the “hairpin”, this geometry uses small wires of circular cross-section bent into slightly inductive loops. Wire bending is inexpensive, so manufacturing costs are dramatically reduced compared to stripline experiments. In addition, the curvature of the wire cross-section provides field enhancement at the apex of the curve, making even higher magnetic and electric field strength attainable. Lastly, the inductance of the loop can easily be varied, providing precise tuning of the electric and magnetic field strengths in the experiment. Simulations using the COMSOL multiphysics software are presented, and compared with similar simulations using the GORGON code. These indicate that magnetic fields from 70 T to 300 T and electric fields from 30 MV/m to 650 MV/m can be produced with this geometry on MAGPIE. Preliminary results from an experimental campaign on MAGPIE are then presented and compared with the simulations.

We present a technique to measure the time-resolved velocity and ion sound speed in magnetized, supersonic high-energy-density plasmas. We place an inductive ("b-dot") probe in a supersonic pulsed-power-driven plasma flow and measure the magnetic field advected by the plasma. As the magnetic Reynolds number is large (RM > 10), the plasma flow advects a magnetic field proportional to the current at the load. This enables us to estimate the flow velocity as a function of time from the delay between the current at the load and the signal at the probe. The supersonic flow also generates a hydrodynamic bow shock around the probe, the structure of which depends on the upstream sonic Mach number. By imaging the shock around the probe with a Mach-Zehnder interferometer, we determine the upstream Mach number from the shock Mach angle, which we then use to determine the ion sound speed from the known upstream velocity. We use the sound speed to infer the value of Z̄Te, where Z̄ is the average ionization and Te is the electron temperature. We use this diagnostic to measure the time-resolved velocity and sound speed of a supersonic (MS ∼ 8), super-Alfvénic (MA ∼ 2) aluminum plasma generated during the ablation stage of an exploding wire array on the Magpie generator (1.4 MA, 250 ns). The velocity and Z̄Te measurements agree well with the optical Thompson scattering measurements reported in the literature and with 3D resistive magnetohydrodynamic simulations in GORGON.

We present a study of perpendicular subcritical shocks in a collisional laboratory plasma. Shocks are produced by placing obstacles into the supermagnetosonic outflow from an inverse wire array z pinch. We demonstrate the existence of subcritical shocks in this regime and find that secondary shocks form in the downstream. Detailed measurements of the subcritical shock structure confirm the absence of a hydrodynamic jump. We calculate the classical (Spitzer) resistive diffusion length and show that it is approximately equal to the shock width. We measure little heating across the shock (<10% of the ion kinetic energy) which is consistent with an absence of viscous dissipation.

We investigate three-dimensional (3-D) bow shocks in a highly collisional magnetized aluminium plasma, generated during the ablation phase of an exploding wire array on the MAGPIE facility (1.4 MA, 240 ns). Ablation of plasma from the wire array generates radially diverging, supersonic ( $M_S \sim 7$ ), super-Alfvénic ( $M_A > 1$ ) magnetized flows with frozen-in magnetic flux ( $R_M \gg 1$ ). These flows collide with an inductive probe placed in the flow, which serves both as the obstacle that generates the magnetized bow shock, and as a diagnostic of the advected magnetic field. Laser interferometry along two orthogonal lines of sight is used to measure the line-integrated electron density. A detached bow shock forms ahead of the probe, with a larger opening angle in the plane parallel to the magnetic field than in the plane normal to it. Since the resistive diffusion length of the plasma is comparable to the probe size, the magnetic field decouples from the ion fluid at the shock front and generates a hydrodynamic shock, whose structure is determined by the sonic Mach number, rather than the magnetosonic Mach number of the flow. The 3-D simulations performed using the resistive magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) code Gorgon confirm this picture, but under-predict the anisotropy observed in the shape of the experimental bow shock, suggesting that non-MHD mechanisms may be important for modifying the shock structure.