Direct drive inertial confinement fusion in a Z-pinch plasma

The recent successes with the Saturn and “Z” facilities at Sandia National Laboratory have renewed interest in Z-pinch fusion as a means of producing an abundance of high-energy photons. We have estimated that, in a nuclear fusion pulsed Z-pinch, peak currents in excess of 20–30 MA may produce magnetic fields sufficient to confine α-particles. We performed a series of numerical simulations with Au/CH/DT loads for devices with peak currents ranging from 20 to 60 MA. A detailed ionization model for Au was employed, and includes a forest of transported emission lines or line groups. For each case, we will give the calculated D-T yield and the yield of the α-particles deposited in the plasma.