Measurments of the Magnetic Field Distribution in Gas-Puff Z-Pinch Implosions Using a Faraday Rotation Diagnostic

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 and temporal resolution is key to determining the exact nature of this distribution. This poster presents new results in measuring the magnetic field distribution in gas puffs, from which the current distribution can be calculated. 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 to measure the plasma density and 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 and timings.