Analysis of radial radiography for the liner stability series at Pegasus: PGII-59, PGII-62, and PGII-63

Three liner stability experiments were performed at the Pegasus II pulsed power facility to determine the asymmetric variations in the material density of a cylindrical liner during an electro-magnetically driven implosion. The initial campaign consisted of three experiments, designated LS-1, LS-2, and LS-3. LS-1 and LS-2 were driven with a peak current of approximately 4.2 MA, whereas the peak current for LS-3 was approximately 6.4 MA. All three liners initially were 0.4 mm wall aluminum cylinders with a mean radius of 2.38 cm and a height of 2.0 cm. The inner surface of each liner was coated with a thin (18-23 /spl mu/m) layer of gold to aid in the determination of the position of the inner surface of the liner. Radial radiography was used to characterize the z-dependent and /spl theta/-dependent instabilities that were observed as the liner contracted.