Some Considerations of a Flow-Stabilized Z-Pinch for Megagauss Fusion

The opportunity for low-cost controlled thermonuclear fusion may be enabled by operation at megagauss magnetic field levels. Such high fields are usually obtained by magnetic flux compression with imploding liners 1 . It is also possible, however, to achieve megagauss fields in a z-pinch. Historically, a z-pinch becomes unstable before adequate nuclear gains can occur. Use of axial flow with shear can prevent such instability allowing new directions for fusion research 2 . The present paper examines some aspects of a flow- through z-pinch in a coaxial plasma gun. A quasi-steady flow model is used to obtain scaling relations for connection of plasma gun and pinch properties, and to indicate the prospects for fusion energy gain.