Whence Z-pinches? A personal view

The first Dense Z-Pinch(DZP) conference, in 1984, marked an attempt to use then-modern pulsed power with a Z-pinch to work toward thermonuclear fusion energy. This 11th DZP conference in China is a good time to look back, to comment on progress since, and to project forward.What follows is a personal perspective: scattered comments from a sympathetic outsider and one-time participant. In these 35 years, Z-pinch theory has evolved from little more than cartoons to fully 3D MHD computer simulations, measurements have gone from mostly time-and spatially integrated diagnostics to monochromatic imaging, highly resolved x-ray spectroscopy, and active laser probing. Large pulsed power generators now drive x-ray-producing Z-pinches that are powerful enough for many applications; thermonuclear fusion may work single-shot in the future.