IMPLOSIONS, EQUILIBRIA, AND STABILITY OF ROTATING, RADIATING Z-PINCH PLASMAS

The effects of uniform rotation on the dynamics, equilibria and stabil ity of cylindrically symmetric, radiating Z-pinch plasmas are studied. Rotation changes the Bennett and Pease-Braginskii equilibria qualitat ively, eliminating radiative collapse for both quasisteady and dynamic plasmas. In particular, a steady rotating plasma column can support a ny current above the Pease-Braginskii value, with Ohmic heating balanc ed by radiative losses. Stabilizing effect of rotation on the m=0 mode of Rayleigh-Taylor instability of a hollow plasma shell was found for long perturbation wavelengths. (C) 1995 American Institute of Physics .