Measurement of instability growth in a magnetized Z pinch in the finite-Larmor-radius regime -: art. no. 145004

The development of the m = 0 instability in a Z pinch was followed and the measured growth rates compared with 2D MHD simulations. Where MHD is valid, the measured growth rates agree well with simulation. Where the ions are magnetized, i.e., where the ion-cyclotron frequency is smaller than the ion-collision frequency and the ratio of the ion Larmor radius to pinch radius is of the order of 0.1, the growth rate was smaller than expected by a factor of 2.5. This is as predicted by finite-Larmor-radius theory. The product of the wave number and the pinch radius was ka similar to 2 pi and was the same for all conditions. Perturbations as large as 30% of the pinch radius were observed; no nonlinear saturation was evident.