Investigation of plasma turbulence in finite beta Z-pinch plasma and laboratory astrophysics experiments

Summary form only given. Linear analysis of the compressible electromagnetic flute mode instability in a finite beta current carrying Z-pinch plasma has demonstrated good agreement in terms of excited wavelengths and characteristic growth rates between theory, simulation and experimental data. The data was obtained during wire array implosion experiments on the Zebra pulsed power generator. In the nonlinear stage numerical solutions show saturation of the instability, appearance of large scale structures as well as emergence of shorter wavelengths in the excited wave spectrum. This turbulence can be responsible for anomalous transport and viscous ion heating. Laboratory experiments on the interaction of a plasma flow, produced by laser ablation of a solid target with the inhomogeneous magnetic field from the Zebra pulsed power generator demonstrated the presence of strong wave activity in the region of the flow deceleration. The deceleration of the plasma flow can be interpreted as the appearance of a gravitational force. This in turn can lead to the excitation of flute modes driven by the gravitational drift.