Mitigation Effect of Finite Larmor Radius on Rayleigh-Taylor Instability in Z-Pinch Implosions

Based on the framework of magnetohydrodynamic theory, a simple model is proposed to study the mitigation effect of finite Larmor radius on the Rayleigh-Taylor instability in Z-pinch implosions. In this model, taking account of T i ⩾ T e in Z-pinch implosions we believe that the magnetohydrodynamic plasma responds to a perturbation (~exp [i( k · x -ω t ]) at frequency (ω + i k ⊥ 2 ρ i 2 Ω i ) instead of frequency ω, where k ⊥ 2 ρ i 2 is due to the finite Larmor radius effects expressed from the general kinetic theory of magnetized plasma. Therefore the linearized continuity and momentum equations for the perturbed mass-density and velocity include the finite Larmor radius effects. The calculations indicate that, in the wavenumber region of interest, the finite Larmor radius effects can mitigate the Rayleigh-Taylor instability in Z-pinch implosions.