Implementation of a Faraday Rotation Diagnostic on Gas-Puff Z-Pinch Implosions at 1-MA

Gas-puff Z-pinch implosions are magnetically driven implosions of an annular plasma sheath which is compressed onto the z-axis. Understanding the current distribution which generates the driving magnetic field within the imploding plasma sheath is key to understanding the implosion dynamics. A diagnostic which is non-perturbative and offers good spatial resolution is key to determining the exact nature of this distribution. This poster presents progress in developing a Faraday Rotation magnetic field diagnostic and current results using it to measure the magnetic field distribution. The gas-puff Z-pinches under study are generated on the 1-MA COBRA generator at Cornell University using a triple gas puff nozzle, where outer and inner annular plasma sheaths collapse onto a central target jet, compressing it. These plasmas are generated with a current rise time of approximately 100ns using argon gas. The Faraday Rotation diagnostic is combined with interferometry measurements of the electron density in order to calculate the magnetic field. These are supplemented with gated visible-UV light self-emission images, XUV (extreme ultraviolet) quadrant camera images, and PCD (photo-conducting diodes) signals to diagnose the implosion dynamics.