How do Z pinches contribute to a variety of scientific research
projects? Z provides the fastest, most accurate, and cheapest
method to determine how materials will react under high
pressures and temperatures, characteristics that can then be
expressed in formulas called “equations of state.” Equations of
state tell researchers how materials will react if basic
conditions like pressure and temperature are changed by specific
amounts. Dovetailing theoretical simulations with laboratory
work, Sandia researchers have been able to perform equation-of-
state measurements more precisely than ever before. Exposing
targets to the high power levels of Z also allows scientists to
study extreme states of matter, such as plasmas, and it may
produce unexpected reactions and generate responses of great
interest to many areas of science. Fusion research on Z, too,
contributes to broader scientific insight. Because near-perfect
symmetry is necessary to ignite fusion (so the imploding
particles will be forced to collide by not