3D dynamics of a premagnetized gas-puff Z-pinch implosion

P. Phillips; M. Escalona; P. Retamales; M. Ribeiro; F. Veloso; J. C. Valenzuela

doi:10.1063/5.0327033

Volume 11 Issue 5

Sep. 2026

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P. Phillips, M. Escalona, P. Retamales, M. Ribeiro, F. Veloso, J. C. Valenzuela. 3D dynamics of a premagnetized gas-puff Z-pinch implosion[J]. Matter and Radiation at Extremes, 2026, 11(5): 057402. doi: 10.1063/5.0327033

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P. Phillips, M. Escalona, P. Retamales, M. Ribeiro, F. Veloso, J. C. Valenzuela. 3D dynamics of a premagnetized gas-puff Z-pinch implosion[J]. Matter and Radiation at Extremes, 2026, 11(5): 057402. doi: 10.1063/5.0327033

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3D dynamics of a premagnetized gas-puff Z-pinch implosion

doi: 10.1063/5.0327033

Instituto de Física, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 7820436, Chile

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Corresponding author: a)Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed: pelayo.phillips@uc.cl and jcvalen1@uc.cl
Received Date: 2026-02-10
Accepted Date: 2026-06-08

Available Online: 2026-09-28

Publish Date: 2026-09-01

Abstract

Abstract

Gas-puff Z pinches are pulsed-power-driven plasma implosions used as compact laboratory sources of soft X rays and fusion neutrons and as a platform for magneto-inertial fusion research. When a pre-embedded axial magnetic field is applied, the implosion becomes intrinsically three-dimensional, with radial compression, self-generated rotation, and (in the presence of zippering) axial flow all contributing to the dynamics and to the energy balance of the pinch. Simultaneous resolution of all three velocity components is therefore essential for a complete description. We present the first simultaneous, spatially resolved measurement of all three velocity components (radial, azimuthal, and axial) in an annular magnetized argon gas-puff Z-pinch, performed using collective Thomson scattering along three orthogonal lines of sight from the same scattering volume at each time step. Measurements were carried out on the Llampüdkeñ pulse-power generator (400 kA peak, 200 ns rise time), for applied axial fields ranging from 0.04 to 0.26 T using two coil configurations: a double coil with negligible initial radial field at the probed plane (z = 8 mm) and a single coil that imposes a finite initial radial field. Three principal results are reported. First, the axial velocity component, which had not previously been measured experimentally in this configuration, reaches 60–70 km/s near the axis at low applied fields (B_z0 < 0.1 T) and is suppressed to within ±20 km/s for stronger applied fields, in correlation with the reduction of the zippering angle, with direct implications for the implosion energy balance. Second, the self-generated rotation extends across the full plasma diameter, not only at the periphery, and the diametrical profile of the azimuthal velocity decreases toward the axis nonlinearly, consistent with the underlying current density distribution; this feature was not visible in previous edge-localized measurements. Third, rotation persists in the double-coil case (B_r0 ≈ 0) and is enhanced in the single-coil case (finite B_r0), supporting the interpretation that B_r develops self-consistently during the implosion and drives the rotation through a J_z × B_r torque. These results constrain the role of each magnetic-field component and motivate direct measurement of B_r and the current density distribution as the next step.

The authors have no conflicts to disclose.
Conflict of Interest
P. Phillips: Conceptualization (equal); Data curation (lead); Formal analysis (lead); Investigation (equal); Methodology (equal); Visualization (lead); Writing – original draft (lead). M. Escalona: Conceptualization (equal); Formal analysis (supporting); Funding acquisition (supporting); Investigation (equal); Methodology (equal); Visualization (supporting); Writing – review & editing (lead). P. Retamales: Investigation (equal); Visualization (supporting). M. Ribeiro: Formal analysis (supporting); Writing – review & editing (supporting). F. Veloso: Funding acquisition (supporting); Resources (supporting); Supervision (supporting); Writing – review & editing (supporting). J. C. Valenzuela: Conceptualization (equal); Funding acquisition (lead); Investigation (supporting); Project administration (lead); Resources (lead); Supervision (lead); Writing – review & editing (lead).
Author Contributions
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding authors upon reasonable request.

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