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(Z) Pinch Me

Short answer: In a Z-pinch, current flowing along the axis of a plasma or a metal target creates a circular (azimuthal) magnetic field, and the resulting Lorentz force drives the material inward.

Sandia's Z machine stores up to 22 MJ and discharges it as a pulse of about 100 nanoseconds, with currents of about 26 million amps (up to about 30 MA). That gives magnetic pressures of about 100 Mbar at a 1 mm radius. On Z, the targets are usually wire arrays or metal liners that vaporize into plasma. The Reel's footage is credited to Zap Energy, a company developing a different, sheared-flow Z-pinch approach to fusion.

VideoWrite-up4 sources

In collections:Power and Energy

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What should you know about (Z) Pinch Me?

Quick facts. Each one stands alone and has a stable ID you can cite.

  1. Sandia's Z machine runs at about 26 million amps per shot.

    DD-741-F01 · Write-up · Exhibit B (The Z machine)

  2. Magnetic pressure on Z reaches about 100 Mbar at a 1 mm radius.

    DD-741-F02 · Write-up · Exhibit D (Magnetic pressure)

Video transcript: (Z) Pinch Me: A Plasma Squeezed by Its Own Current

DID YOU KNOW? A plasma Z-pinch compresses plasma using the magnetic field created by an enormous electrical current flowing directly through it. When the current travels along the plasma's axis, it generates a circular magnetic field around the plasma, producing an inward force that squeezes the plasma into a narrow column. In experiments such as the Z Machine at Sandia National Laboratories, electrical pulses can reach tens of millions of amperes, generating magnetic pressures powerful enough to compress plasma to extreme temperatures and densities. NOW YOU KNOW!

Burned-in captions, read frame by frame (see transcript.md) · 29.6s Reel ·

Video coming soon(Z) Pinch Me · Instagram Reel
(Z) Pinch Me: A Plasma Squeezed by Its Own Current Instagram Reel · · 29.6s

The write-up

A plasma squeezed by its own current. Sandia's Z machine drives about 26 million amps through its targets.

  1. Exhibit A

    The pinch

    Current flowing along an axis, conventionally called z, creates a magnetic field that circles it. The force between that current and that field pushes the conductor inward. This is why it's called a 'Z-pinch'.

  2. Exhibit B

    The Z machine

    Sandia's Z is the world's largest pulsed-power accelerator. It stores up to 22 MJ and discharges it in a pulse of about 100 nanoseconds, with peak power around 80 TW and current up to about 30 MA.

  3. Exhibit C

    Typical shots

    In about 200 shots a year, Z uses currents of about 26 million amps and produces X-ray output of about 2.7 MJ at peaks of about 350 TW.

  4. Exhibit D

    Magnetic pressure

    At 26 MA and a radius of 1 mm, the magnetic pressure is about 100 Mbar, roughly 100 million atmospheres. That is enough to implode a target to far higher pressures.

  5. Exhibit E

    What gets pinched

    On Z, the load is usually a cylindrical array of fine wires or a metal liner, which vaporizes into plasma and implodes. Z is used for radiation science, material properties and fusion research.

Questions people ask about (Z) Pinch Me

What current does Sandia's Z typically use?

Z shots run at about 26 MA.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (Typical shots) · Sandia National Laboratories: About Z

How long is a Z pulse?

Energy is discharged in about a 100 ns pulse.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (The Z machine) · Sinars et al. (2020), Review of pulsed power-driven high energy density physics research on Z at Sandia, Physics of Plasmas

Why is it called a Z-pinch?

Current along the axis, conventionally z, creates the pinching field.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (The pinch) · Wikipedia: Z-pinch

What is a typical Z target?

The wires or liner vaporize into plasma and implode.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (What gets pinched) · Sinars et al. (2020), Review of pulsed power-driven high energy density physics research on Z at Sandia, Physics of Plasmas

Magnetic pressure at 26 MA and 1 mm is about...

About 100 Mbar.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (Magnetic pressure) · Sandia (OSTI): Pulsed power Z-pinch program at Sandia

Test Your Knowledge

All quizzes →

5 questions, all from this case file. Answers are revealed instantly.

  1. What current does Sandia's Z typically use?

    1. About 26 million amps
    2. About 26 amps
    3. About 2,600 amps
    4. About 26 billion amps
    Show the answer

    Answer: A. About 26 million amps Z shots run at about 26 MA. Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (Typical shots) · Sandia National Laboratories: About Z

  2. How long is a Z pulse?

    1. About 100 nanoseconds
    2. About 1 second
    3. About 1 minute
    4. About 1 hour
    Show the answer

    Answer: A. About 100 nanoseconds Energy is discharged in about a 100 ns pulse. Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (The Z machine) · Sinars et al. (2020), Review of pulsed power-driven high energy density physics research on Z at Sandia, Physics of Plasmas

  3. Why is it called a Z-pinch?

    1. The current flows along the z axis
    2. It was invented in Zurich
    3. It makes a Z shape
    4. It uses zinc
    Show the answer

    Answer: A. The current flows along the z axis Current along the axis, conventionally z, creates the pinching field. Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (The pinch) · Wikipedia: Z-pinch

  4. What is a typical Z target?

    1. A wire array or metal liner
    2. A water balloon
    3. A glass sphere
    4. A magnet
    Show the answer

    Answer: A. A wire array or metal liner The wires or liner vaporize into plasma and implode. Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (What gets pinched) · Sinars et al. (2020), Review of pulsed power-driven high energy density physics research on Z at Sandia, Physics of Plasmas

  5. Magnetic pressure at 26 MA and 1 mm is about...

    1. 1 atmosphere
    2. 100 Mbar
    3. 1 bar
    4. 10 psi
    Show the answer

    Answer: B. 100 Mbar About 100 Mbar. Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (Magnetic pressure) · Sandia (OSTI): Pulsed power Z-pinch program at Sandia

Cite this case file

Easterling, Marcus. "(Z) Pinch Me." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-741, last updated Sep 17, 2026. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/z-pinch-me/

Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/z-pinch-me/ · Last updated

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Cite a single fact by its ID, for example DD-741-F01 → https://detailenjoyer.com/case/z-pinch-me/#DD-741-F01

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