Simulations of Radiatively Cooled Magnetic Reconnection Driven by Pulsed- Power on the Z Machine

Magnetic reconnection - the abrupt change in magnetic field topology accompanied by the explosive release of heat and kinetic energy - is an important process in astrophysical plasmas. In high-energy-density astrophysical environments, strong radiative cooling can modify the reconnection process, by rapidly removing the magnetic energy dissipated in the current sheet. The MARZ (Magnetically Ablated Reconnection on Z) collaboration investigates radiatively-cooled reconnection in the laboratory on the Z pulsed-power machine, as part of the Z Fundamental Science Program.