Effects of plasma jet initial conditions and number on peak ram pressure and uniformity for plasma jet driven magneto-inertial fusion experiments on PLX-$\alpha$

Numerical simulations of spherically imploding plasma liners formed by merging supersonic plasma jets have been performed using the smooth particle hydrodynamics (SPH) codes in support of the PLX-$\alpha$ project. The physics includes radiation, Braginskii thermal conductivity and ion viscosity, separate ion and electron temperatures, and tabular EOS (LTE and non-LTE). Variation in the initial plasma state, number of jets, and velocity will be explored. Solid-angle-averaged and standard deviation of liner ram pressure and Mach number reveal variations in these properties during formation and implosion. Spherical plasma targets are introduced into the cavity to study the uniformity as the liner interacts with and compresses the target. Spherical-harmonic mode-number analysis of the target surface at various radii and times provide a quantitative means to assess the evolution of liner non-uniformity. A preliminary look at burn physics in three dimensions will be provided based on previous 1D studies.