Unstable behavior of an exploding wire array for z-pinch

In this paper, the unstable behavior of a wire array is discussed. The instability occurs by the deviation from the homogeneous current flow through many wires. The expressions discriminating between the stability and the instability are derived. Using the resistivity variation of the wire, the unstable behavior during the explosion of the wires is predicted and the tendency to an unstable behavior is evaluated. Also, the unstable behavior of the wire array was confirmed in the wire explosion experiment generally used to produce the z-pinch. The current measurement of parallel exploding wires shows inhomogeneous current flow through the wires. Time-resolved pictures show asymmetrical explosions of the wires.