The dense radiating deuterium Z-pinch plasma

Abstract

The radiative emission from a frozen deuterium Z‐pinch driven by a slowly rising current (∼3 kA/ns) is investigated. This approach is in marked contrast to the standard radiating Z‐pinch plasma which is driven by a rapid‐current rise leading to a fast implosion. The slow pinch is modeled as a quasistatic contraction subject to Bennett‐pressure equilibrium and driven by a constant generator voltage of 200 kV. Electron degeneracy is approximately accounted for in the pressure, however, the resistivity is taken as purely classical. The bremsstrahlung spectrum transitions from thin to nearly thick during the collapse phase. The predictions from this simple model suggests that this approach may have interesting applications as a radiation source in the kilovolt regime. In particular, we find that a deuterium plasma of 10¹⁸ cm⁻¹ line density yields ∼60 kJ of radiation above 3 keV while undergoing a radiative collapse.