Two-dimensional MHD calculations of a liner compressed MTF plasma

Summary form only given, as follows. Magnetized Target Fusion (MTF) is a generalized scheme for attaining burning plasma conditions by feeding power into a dense plasma by means of a fast liner implosion, at a rate faster than thermal transport diffuses it to the walls. The magnetic field is critical to inhibit these thermal losses, but it is neither intended nor needed to provide steady plasma confinement. Two-dimensional MHD calculations have been used previously to follow the highly transient process of injection of dense plasma into a chamber and the subsequent relaxation and decay of this plasma. Those calculations were sufficiently promising that more complete simulations are being performed to track the time-dependent evolution of the target plasma during liner implosion of the configuration. Zero-dimension studies show strong islands in parameter-space for which fusion conditions can be obtained. Initial conditions of hydrogenic plasma density, 10/sup +18/ cm/sup -3/, ion temperature, 100 eV, and initial magnetic fields of 5-30 T are typical for such islands. The issues we are attempting to elucidate with 2-D MHD calculations are the convective stability of the plasma-wall interface, wall heating and migration of cold wall material into the hot, dense plasma, and ultimately the state of the full plasma system after a radial compression ratio of 10:1. Both the static chamber walls and the imploding wall (the liner) are treated with realistic Equations of state and electrical conductivities. The liner implosion is driven by either existing pulsed power sources such as ATLAS or Disk Electromagnetic Generators (DEMG), or by conservative extrapolation of such sources. Liner stability during closure of the chamber flux/plasma input gap by the imploding wall is also studied. Previous studies have indicated that densities in excess of 10/sup +20/ cm/sup -3/ can be achieved, along with temperatures greater than 1 keV.