Radiation Hydrodynamics of Stainless Steel Wire Arrays on the Z Accelerator

Experiments on the Z accelerator with nested stainless steel wire arrays produced K‐shell x‐ray yields exceeding 50 kJ in the energy range 5.5 to 8 keV. Stainless steel (Z = 24–28) can barely be ionized to the K‐shell on Z, and the spectra are therefore sensitive to the details of the implosion. We have simulated the implosion dynamics of stainless steel wire arrays with diameters ranging from 4.5 to 8.0 centimeters using a detailed configuration non‐LTE radiation hydrodynamics model. Reasonable agreement with total and K‐shell experimental yields was obtained for the various array configurations. A comparison is made between the 1‐D and 2‐D simulations for shot Z‐578.