Investigating radiative cooling and magnetic fields with x-ray driven plasma jets on the MAGPIE pulsed-power generator

We present experiments investigating colliding plasma flows and jets driven by the x-rays emitted from wire array z-pinch implosions. Ablating wedge targets produces collimated, supersonic (M~2-3) plasma jets. By varying target material, we have measured the effects of radiative cooling on these jets using diagnostics such as interferometry and Thomson scattering. The x-ray drive platform also allows us to explore the effects of magnetic field, for example its role in suppressing structures formed within the plasma.