title: Interpenetration, deflection, and stagnation of cylindrically convergent magnetized supersonic tungsten plasma flows.
abstract: The interpenetration and interaction of supersonic, magnetized tungsten plasma flows has been directly observed via spatially and temporally resolved measurements of the Thomson scattering ion feature. A novel scattering geometry allows independent measurements of the axial and radial velocity components of the ions. The plasma flows are produced via the pulsed power driven ablation of fine tungsten wires in a cylindrical wire array z pinch. Fits of the data reveal the variations in radial velocity, axial velocity, and temperature of the ion streams as they interpenetrate and interact. A previously unobserved increase in axial velocity is measured near the array axis. This may be the result of v[over →]×B[over →] bending of the ion streams by a toroidal magnetic field, advected to and accumulated about the axis by the streams.
authors.affiliation: Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College, London SW7 2BW, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: G F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Swadling
authors.affiliation: Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College, London SW7 2BW, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: S V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Lebedev
authors.affiliation: Sandia National Laboratories, P.O. Box 5800, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185-1193, USA.
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Harvey-Thompson
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2J1.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Rozmus
authors.affiliation: Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College, London SW7 2BW, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: G C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Burdiak
authors.affiliation: Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College, London SW7 2BW, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Suttle
authors.affiliation: Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College, London SW7 2BW, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Patankar
authors.affiliation: Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College, London SW7 2BW, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College, London SW7 2BW, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bennett
authors.affiliation: Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College, London SW7 2BW, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: G N
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.affiliation: Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College, London SW7 2BW, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Suzuki-Vidal
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Pulsed Power, Institute of Fluid Physics, CAE, Mianyang 621900, China.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yuan