Isentropic compression of metals, at multi-megabar pressures, using high explosive pulsed power

Summary form only given. Accurate isentropic equation of state (EOS) data, for the response of materials at ultra-high pressures, are required for a variety of applications. Asay (1999) reported a new method to obtain these data using pulsed magnetic loading on the Sandia Z-machine. Fast rising current pulses (risetimes from 100 to 300 ns) at current densities exceeding many MA/cm, create continuous magnetic loading up to a few Mbar. As part of a collaborative effort between the Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore laboratories, we are adapting our high explosive pulsed power (HEPP) methods to obtain isentropic EOS data with the Asay technique; initially at up to 2 Mbar but eventually up to tens of Mbar. We will describe the design of the HEPP systems and show the EOS data we have obtained to date.