Electrode-less, distributively induced quasi-spherical implosion: A numerical exploration

This paper proposes a novel electrode-less implosion scheme that falls within the category of rotating (magnetic) field (RoF) implosion (RoFI). Using two-dimensional cylindrical symmetric simulations, we investigate the implosion dynamics under different axial distribution patterns of the driving field. The results reveal that the final implosion morphology is highly sensitive to the spatial configuration of the driving field, manifesting in five typical forms: hourglass, quasi-spherical, cylindrical, hourglass-to-quasi-spherical transitional, and an unfavorable severely asymmetric shape. Among these, the quasi-spherical and hourglass-to-quasi-spherical implosions exhibit the greatest potential for efficient three-dimensional compression. To assess stability, we introduce an axial perturbation seed in the initial conditions and compare magnetized Rayleigh–Taylor instability growth between the RoF-driven quasi-spherical implosion and a traditional Z-pinch. Under identical perturbations, the RoFI scheme effectively suppresses perturbation growth. This study preliminarily verifies the significant potential of this electrode-less, distributively induced implosion approach—particularly the quasi-spherical configuration—for achieving efficient and stable compression. The proposed scheme offers a potential technical pathway for inertial confinement fusion and high-energy-density physics experiments, enabling electrode damage avoidance while maintaining good symmetry and stability.