- Accepted Paper
Two-fluid effects in Z-pinch ablation characterized by unified Bayesian inversion
Phys. Rev. Lett. - Accepted 27 October, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/4wrm-gr4b
Phys. Rev. Lett. - Accepted 27 October, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/4wrm-gr4b
In wire-array Z pinches, plasma ablation shapes the conditions for the subsequent implosion. Resolving separate ion and electron motion in these dense, magnetized flows remains an experimental challenge. Here, we report the first direct, spatially resolved measurements of radial () and azimuthal () current densities in Z-pinch ablation, enabled by a Bayesian inversion framework unifying two-angle Thomson scattering, interferometry, and Faraday rotation. We infer an inward ambipolar radial electric field, , that accelerates ions; the azimuthal current is attributed to the Hall effect. This two-fluid mechanism offers a possible common explanation for two long-standing macroscopic signatures: an anode-directed ablation-flow tilt of , attributed to drift, and a cathode-to-anode asymmetry of approximately in the path-averaged parallel field (). The magnetic asymmetry may contribute to seeding the zipper effect. A hybrid particle-in-cell simulation in axisymmetric geometry provides supporting evidence that , , and an anode-directed drift can arise in ablation flows, though its reduced geometry limits quantitative comparison with the two-wire experiment.
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