Optical image diagnostics of a wire array Z pinch

The implosions of 5 μm diameter 32-wire and 8 μm diameter 24-wire tungsten wire array Z pinch in Qiangguang-I accelerator were recorded with an optical imaging system.The images can be used to study the implosion dynamics of the wire array Z pinch.For the 32-wire array,the implosion time was(113±7) ns with the ratio of the start time of the fast implosion(ta) to the implosion time(timp) of 0.60-0.70.For the 24-wire array,the wire ablation was not uniform along the wire axis with an approximately regular modulation with the wavelength of about 0.25 mm.The interplay of the plasma between the wires is an important factor in the formation of the plasma shell.For the 24-wire array,the implosion time is(160±5) ns and the ta/timp is 0.90-0.95.The mass difference is the main reason for the different implosion behavior of the two wire arrays.