Dynamics of a Z-pinch x-ray source for heating inertial-confinement-fusion relevant hohlraums to 120-160 eV

A Z-pinch radiation source has been developed that generates 60 +/- 20 kJ of x rays with a peak power of 13 +/-4 TW through a 4-mm-diam axial aperture on the Z facility. The source has heated National Ignition Facility-scale (6-mm-diam by 7-mm-high) hohlraums to 122 +/-6 eV and reduced-scale (4-mm-diam by 4-mm-high) hohlraums to 155 +/-8 eV-providing environments suitable for indirect-drive inertial confinement fusion studies. Eulerian-RMHC (radiation-magnetohydrodynamics code) simulations that take into account the development of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability in the r-z plane provide integrated calculations of the implosion, x-ray generation, and hohlraum heating, as well as estimates of wall motion and plasma fill within the hohlraums. Lagrangian-RMHC simulations suggest that the addition of a 6 mg/cm(3) CH2 fill in the reduced-scale hohlraum decreases hohlraum inner-wall velocity by similar to 40% with only a 3%-5% decrease in peak temperature, in agreement with measurements. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S1070-664X(00)05111-9].