A renewed argon gas puff capability on Sandia's Z machine

Summary form only given. We have reestablished gas puff z-pinch capability on Sandia's 20 MA Z machine, including a Sandia-operated driver system and an imaging interferometer to characterize nozzle mass flow [1]. Initial experiments have focused on developing a 3 keV Ar K-shell x-ray source. We have pursued a design-driven approach to planning these experiments, utilizing numerical simulation to predict Ar K-shell yield for various nozzle mass profile configurations. In particular, we study coupling to the generator and how the distribution of mass between the two shells impacts magnetic Rayleigh-Taylor instability evolution. Two-dimensional radiation-magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) simulations at NRL for a number of density profiles produced by the nozzle have predicted yields in excess of 300 kJ, and indicated that a 1:1.6 outer-to innershell mass ratio would produce the most stable implosion with high enough temperature to optimize Ar K-shell output [2]. This result was also consistent with 3D MHD modeling using the Gorgon code [3] at Sandia. Both models used tabulated non-LTE atomic models for Ar K-shell photon emission. We will present Z experimental data from the first gas puff shots on the accelerator since 2006, and compare these to the numerical models. Spectral output is measured from 1-20 keV. Electrical current measurements at different positions along the power flow section provide information on current coupling to the load. Time-gated pinhole imaging and radially-resolved spectroscopy indicate ~60 cm/μs implosion velocities and >1 keV electron temperatures.