Physics of High-Density Z-Pinch Plasmas

By John S. De Groot, Michael A. Liberman, Rick B Spielman, et al.

Book Overview

Plasmas are a hot, ionized gas that conducts electric currents, as in a spark or bolt of lightning; they can reach temperatures of millions of degrees. Sending a large electric current through a fine wire vaporizes it, producing a dense plasma confined by the magnetic field the current generates. The direction along the wire (and the current) is generally referred to as the z-axis, hence the name z-pinch for the magnetic interaction that confines the plasma along the z-axis. Such plasmas can produce intense radiation over a wide spectrum and also show promise of leading to conditions for controlled nuclear fusion.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 146127138X
• ISBN13: 9781461271383
• Release Date: October 2012
• Publisher: Springer
• Length: 277 Pages
• Weight: 0.91 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.1" x 9.2"