Shumlak U, Golingo R P, Nelson B A, Den Hartog D J
University of Washington, Aerospace and Energetics Research Program, Seattle, Washington 98195-2250, USA.
Phys Rev Lett. 2001 Nov 12;87(20):205005. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.87.205005. Epub 2001 Oct 29.
Theoretical studies have predicted that the Z-pinch can be stabilized with a sufficiently sheared axial flow [U. Shumlak and C. W. Hartman, Phys. Rev. Lett. 75, 3285 (1995)]. A Z-pinch experiment is designed to generate a plasma which contains a large axial flow. Magnetic fluctuations and velocity profiles in the plasma pinch are measured. Experimental results show a stable period which is over 700 times the expected instability growth time in a static Z-pinch. The experimentally measured axial velocity shear is greater than the theoretical threshold during the stable period and approximately zero afterwards when the magnetic mode fluctuations are high.
