Radiation hydrodynamics of Z-pinch plasmas

Summary form only given. An attempt is made to present a coherent picture of the documented and commonly held views on a class of Z-pinch plasmas concerned primarily with soft X-ray radiation source development. Many of the issues and findings are common to Z-pinch plasmas in general, but particular attention is focused on gas puffs and multiple wire arrays. The influence of radiation on the dynamics and interplay between the radiation and the dynamics are discussed. A number of comparisons with experimental results have been made with 0-, 1-, and 2-D numerical simulations for several pulsed power drivers ranging in current from several mega-amps to 10´s of mega-amps for a variety of risetimes and load materials.