NUMERICAL SIMULATIONS OF A Z-PINCH IN DT

A one-dimensional MHD code is applied to a numerical simulation of a d ense Z-pinch in DT compressed by a rapidly rising (10ns) current whose final value is well above the Pease-Braginskii value. The pinch compr ession depends on whether the fusion output at the start of the radiat ion collapse is high enough to counter the implosion. This depends cri tically on the way in which the alphas are deposited inside the pinchi ng plasma It is shown that if the alphas are lost through the extremit ies of the pinch, it can collapse to radii below 1 mu m, and the burn- up can exceed 50%. The possibility of substantial burn-up even exists at temperatures below ignition (tepid fusion) if the ion temperature d ecouples from that of the temperature of the degenerate electron gas.