Pulsed power experiments in hydrodynamics and material properties

A new application for high performance pulsed power program, the production of high energy density environments in materials for the study of material properties and hydrodynamics in complex geometries, has joined family of radiation source applications in the Stockpile Stewardship. The principle tool for producing high energy density environments is the high precision, magnetically imploded, near-solid density liner. The most attractive pulsed power system for driving such experiments is an ultra-high current, low impedance, microsecond time scale source that is economical both to build and operate. The 25-MJ Atlas capacitor bank system currently under construction at Los Alamos is the first system of its scale specifically designed to drive high precision solid liners. Delivering 30 MA, Atlas will provide liner velocities 12-15 km/sec and kinetic energies of 1-2 MJ/cm with extensive diagnostics and excellent reproducibility. Explosive flux compressor technology provides access to currents exceeding 100 MA producing liner velocities above 25 km/sec and kinetic energies of 5-20 MJ/cm in single shot operations. In this paper we review basic scaling arguments that set the scope of the environments available with pulsed power drive. We overview the pulsed power technology under development at Los Alamos for high energy density experiments and provide a summary of results from exploration of the physics limiting the performance of near solid metal liners under magnetic drive. We present examples of hydrodynamic experiments performed with interim systems.