Isentropic Compression Experiment on Aluminum Using the Z-Accelerator

The capability of using the Z-Machine at Sandia to perform isentropic compression experiments has been discussed by Hall previously. Pressures exceeding 1.5 Mbar have been launched into materials and the pressure wave can be shaped by varying the load current in Z. In this paper, theoretical results will be presented for an aluminum sample in which we obtain isentropic equations of state (EOS) information.

Obtaining the isentropic EOS is necessary in many scientific and technological fields for computer simulations. We will follow the procedure outlined by Reisman to determine the EOS. From these steps, we will determine the theoretical EOS of aluminum using data obtained from BUCKY. We will discuss any variances we have in our results due to the use of two different sets of EOS opacity data.

The results presented here were obtained using BUCKY, a 1-D MHD code developed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. BUCKY is a code that simulates highenergy density plasmas and target yields for Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF). BUCKY was originally designed to study target physics and target chamber designs for ICF reactors but can be used to study Isentropic Compression Experiments.

We will describe the procedure used to determine the velocity wave profile measurements that leads to determining EOS. From the velocity wave profile we will be able to determine the isentropic compression equations of state of the aluminum sample modeled.