Two-dimensional MHD simulations of a neon z-pinch

Summary form only given, as follows. Two-dimensional (2D) MHD simulations using MACH2 are benchmarked against 250 ns neon gas-puff z-pinch implosions on Hawk. MHD simulations use measured initial mass distributions and an applied current profile, two-temperature energy equations, and black-body-limited optically-thin radiation. For consistency with the radiation model, neon ionization and equation-of-state models have been added to MACH2. MHD mass distributions compare well with laser-shearing interferometer (LSI) images of plasma sheath boundaries as the current channel evolves during implosion. Pseudo-1D simulations test the importance of axial flow neglected in analytic snowplow calculations. Issues of energy conservation, treatment of boundaries, and effects of resolution on RT instability and stagnation are under study.