Efficient computation of current in multiwire Z-pinch arrays

This paper presents a fast, memory efficient, and accurate method to calculate the current distributions in solid wires in wire z-pinch arrays. Building upon previous work, we reformulate inductance equations to significantly reduce the number of variables from N/sub w/xN/sub b/ to N/sub w/+N/sub b/-1, where N/sub w/ is the number of wires and N/sub b/ is the number of return conductor elements, or "backposts". Test cases of N/sub w/ and N/sub b/ in the hundreds show reduction of computing time by as much as five orders of magnitude. Extension of this inductive model to include resistive effects is indicated.