Investigation of asymmetry of wire-array Z pinches at stagnation using a 4-channel laser diagnostic

Asymmetry of wire-array Z-pinches at stagnation was investigated using four synchronized laser beams at the wavelength of 266 nm. These beams were spaced at 45° with respect to each other, allowing a full view of the pinch from four directions. The laser pulse duration was 0.2 ns, with a <0.1 ns temporal accuracy between the four channels. Strong asymmetry was found in Z pinches produced by implosion of asymmetrical wire array loads. Anisotropy of the wire-array Z pinch arises due to the asymmetric implosion and development of plasma instabilities. Understanding the three-dimensional structure of Z-pinches is important for interpretation of data from x-ray and laser diagnostics.