The Z accelerator [R. B. Spielman, W. A. Stygar, J. F. Seamen et al., Proceedings of the 11th International Pulsed Power Conference, Baltimore, MD, 1997, edited by G. Cooperstein and I. Vitkovitsky (IEEE, Piscataway, NJ, 1997), Vol. 1, p. 709] at Sandia National Laboratories delivers ∼20MA load currents to create high magnetic fields (>1000T) and high pressures (megabar to gigabar). In a z-pinch configuration, the magnetic pressure (the Lorentz force) supersonically implodes a plasma created from a cylindrical wire array, which at stagnation typically generates a plasma with energy densities of about 10MJ∕cm3 and temperatures >1keV at 0.1% of solid density. These plasmas produce x-ray energies approaching 2MJ at powers >200TW for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) and high energy density physics (HEDP) experiments. In an alternative configuration, the large magnetic pressure directly drives isentropic compression experiments to pressures >3Mbar and accelerates flyer plates to >30km∕s for equation of state (EOS) experiments at pressures up to 10Mbar in aluminum. Development of multidimensional radiation-magnetohydrodynamic codes, coupled with more accurate material models (e.g., quantum molecular dynamics calculations with density functional theory), has produced synergy between validating the simulations and guiding the experiments. Z is now routinely used to drive ICF capsule implosions (focusing on implosion symmetry and neutron production) and to perform HEDP experiments (including radiation-driven hydrodynamic jets, EOS, phase transitions, strength of materials, and detailed behavior of z-pinch wire-array initiation and implosion). This research is performed in collaboration with many other groups from around the world. A five year project to enhance the capability and precision of Z, to be completed in 2007, will result in x-ray energies of nearly 3MJ at x-ray powers >300TW.

Most of the observed features of magnetically insulated transmission lines are derived from the simple considerations of pressure balance and the space-charge flow limit. These include the mean electron drift velocity and the relationship between line voltage and the currents in the positive and negative lines. This voltage-current relationship is compared with experimental data.

Ad B. 13C NMR Spectroscopy.-In comparison with the corresponding ketones, the 13C signals of the carbonyl groups in acyl silanes are dramatically shifted downfield (Table 2).30-31" Carbonyl groups in acyl silanes have chemical shifts differing by between ca. 25 and 100 ppm from those of the analogous ketones; '* the effect is approximately additive (Table 2, entry 16).13C studies also expose some interesting resonance features of acyl silanes. The carbonyl group of an alkyl phenyl ketone (e.g. Ph-CO-But) displays a 13C chemical shift close to its aliphatic analogue (i.e. Me-CO-But); however, the difference between the two corresponding silicon species (e.g. Ph-CO-SiMe3 and CH3-CO-SiMe3) is a little more marked. Benzoyltrimethylsilane (2) exhibits a carbonyl shift ca. 11-14 ppm upfield of that displayed by acetyltrimethylsilane (1) (Table 2, entries 2 and 5). This could be ascribed to participation of resonance structures such as (5) which, by reducing the amount of positive charge on the carbonyl carbon atom, increase its shielding, thus displacing the chemical shift upfield relative to the aliphatic analogue where such an effect cannot operate.

Experimental and computational investigations of nanosecond electrical explosion of a thin Al wire in vacuum are presented. We have demonstrated that increasing the current rate leads to increased energy deposited before voltage collapse. The experimental evidence for synchronization of the wire expansion and light emission with voltage collapse is presented. Hydrocarbons are indicated in optical spectra and their influence on breakdown physics is discussed. The radial velocity of low-density plasma reaches a value of approximately 100 km/s. The possibility of an over-critical phase transition due to high pressure is discussed. A one-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation shows good agreement with experimental data. The MHD simulation demonstrates separation of the exploding wire into a high-density cold core and a low-density hot corona as well as fast rejection of the current from the wire core to the corona during voltage collapse. Important features of the dynamics for the wire core and corona follow from the MHD simulation and are discussed.

In modern pulsed power systems the electric field stresses at metal surfaces in vacuum transmission lines are so high that negative surfaces are space-charge-limited electron emitters. These electrons do not cause unacceptable losses because magnetic fields due to system currents result in net motion parallel to the electrodes. It has been known for several years that a parameter known as flow impedance is useful for describing these flows. Flow impedance is a measure of the separation between the anode and the mean position of the electron cloud, and it will be shown in this paper that in many situations flow impedance depends upon the geometry of the transmission line upstream of the point of interest. It can be remarkably independent of other considerations such as line currents and voltage. For this reason flow impedance is a valuable design parameter. Models of impedance transitions and voltage adders using flow impedance will be developed. Results of these models will be compared to two-dimensional, time-dependent, particle-in-cell simulations.

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We present experimental evidence of corona-free electrical explosion of dielectric-coated W wire in vacuum. A fast current rise of approximately 150 A/ns and a coating of 2 microm polyimide are both needed to achieve the corona-free regime of explosion. Breakdown is absent in corona-free explosion; the wire remains resistive, and this allows anomalously high energy deposition (approximately 20 times atomization enthalpy). MHD simulations reproduce the main differences between corona and corona-free explosions. A corona-free explosion of a wire can be useful for the generation of a hot plasma column by direct energy deposition.