Improved neon L-shell physics in MHD modeling of hawk gas-puff Z-pinch implosions

Neon gas-puff plasma-radiation-source (PRS) implosion experiments on the Naval Research Laboratory Hawk generator have been modeled with the MACH2 MHD code. Lateral shearing interferometer measurements of electron density were 2- to 3-times higher than predicted by MHD using an optically-thin model for the radiation and ionization physics. This discrepancy is eliminated when collisional-radiative modeling realistically reduces radiation losses, demonstrating the importance of properly treating L-shell radiation during PRS implosions.