Efficient Computation of Current in Multiwire Z-Pinch Arrays.

This paper presents a fast, memory efficient, and accurate method to calculate the current distributions in solid wires in wire z-pinch arrays. Building upon previous work, we reformulate inductance equations to significantly reduce the number of variables from NwxNb to Nw+ Nb -1, where Nw is the number of wires and Nb is the number of return conductor elements, or "backposts." Test cases of Nw and Nb in the hundreds show reduction of computing time by as much as five orders of magnitude. Extension of this inductive model to include resistive effects is indicated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]