Effects of Wire Morphology on Plasma Instability in Z-Pinches

Experiments have shown that morphological features, e.g., crystalline discontinuities, can influence the stability of plasmas in wire z-pinches. In experiments reported here, morphological changes in copper wires consisted of crystalline discontinuities induced by heating and recrystallization. Excimer laser shadowgraphy photographs of expanding plasmas indicated that hydrodynamic instabilities were more pronounced in wires with crystalline discontinuities.