3-D modeling of modifications to the z accelerator for generating shaped pulses

One option to temporally shape the power pulse at the load on the Z accelerator at Sandia National Laboratories is timing delays between the 36 pulse-forming lines. However, this can lead to the formation of magnetic nulls in the vacuum section, with the potential for greatly increasing electron losses to—and possibly damaging—the anode. Three-dimensional computer simulations are now being conducted to study this concern. The simulation geometry models a single level of Z, with a radial transmission line driven by nine parallel-plate lines. Every third line is driven early relative to the other six. Results from preliminary runs without particle emission are presented. Voltage and current diagnostics agree quite well with circuit simulations, and spatial field profiles illustrate the evolution of the magnetic nulls in detail.