In fusion power research, the Z-pinch (zeta pinch) is a type of plasma confinement system that uses an electric current in the plasma to generate a magnetic field that compresses it (see pinch).

Reversed field pinch or toroidal pinch – This is a Z-pinch arranged in the shape of a torus. The plasma has an internal magnetic field. As distance increases from the center of this ring, the magnetic field reverses direction. Inverse pinch – An early fusion concept, this device consisted of a rod surrounded by plasma.

Sandia’s Z machine is Earth’s most powerful pulsed-power facility and X-ray generator. Z compresses energy in time and space to achieve extreme powers and intensities, found nowhere else on Earth.

⚛ Fusion energy research has characterized the Z-Pinch dense plasma focus method. Lightning is form of pinched plasma electrical discharge phenomena. Wire array Z-Pinch experiments are commonly studied and nuclear power plant configurations have been proposed.

The flow Z-pinch is an innovative concept to magnetically confine a high-temperature, high-density plasma. The Z-pinch has a simple, linear configuration with no applied magnetic fields. The self-field generated by the axial current confines and compresses the plasma.

2020年5月27日 · The Z-pinch configuration offers the promise of a compact fusion device owing to its simple geometry, unity beta, and absence of external magnetic field coils. Increasing the axial current compresses the plasma, resulting in a rapid rise of the fusion reaction rate.

2023年3月22日 · Inside the ZETA core, researchers shocked hydrogen gas with an electric current to create a plasma. Then, by running more current through the plasma, they aimed to create a pinch effect — called a Z pinch in this case, for the axis along which the current flowed.

In findings that could help advance another “viable pathway” to fusion energy, research led by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) physicists has proven the existence of neutrons produced through thermonuclear reactions from a sheared-flow stabilized Z-pinch device.

The Z-pinch configuration consists of a column of plasma with an axial current flowing through it. This axial current generates an azimuthal magnetic field, which results in an inward pressure exerted on the plasma. This inward magnetic pressure is balanced by …

One such method of confinement, the method used on ZaP, is called a Z-pinch. Nuclear fusion is the process of recombining nuclei to form different nuclei and release vast amounts of energy. This is the process that powers the sun. If we can harness it, nuclear fusion has the potential to provide us with nearly limitless amounts of clean energy.