A z-pinch device, comprising an injection system that includes: a reservoir for containing an electrically conductive liquid under pressure, the reservoir having a reservoir end; a gating plate located at the reservoir end and having a circular array of gating plate apertures and being rotatable about a central axis passing through a center of the gating plate circular array; a faceplate fixedly positioned adjacent to the gating plate and having a circular array of faceplate orifices arranged complementary to the gating plate apertures; a motor configured to rotate the gating plate about the central axis; a controller configured to control the motor to: rotate the gating plate into an aligned clocking orientation in which the gating plate apertures and the faceplate orifices are aligned to initiate injection of a cylindrical array of liquid jets into an injection area toward a cathode plate; rotate the gating plate into a non-aligned clocking orientation of the gating plate apertures relative to the faceplate orifices to terminate formation of the liquid jets after a discrete quantity of the liquid is injected; and a power source configured to apply a pulse of electric current to the faceplate, the electric current flowing through the liquid jets to the cathode plate and transforming the liquid jets into a plasma along the central axis. a reservoir for containing an electrically conductive liquid under pressure, the reservoir having a reservoir end; a gating plate located at the reservoir end and having a circular array of gating plate apertures and being rotatable about a central axis passing through a center of the gating plate circular array; a faceplate fixedly positioned adjacent to the gating plate and having a circular array of faceplate orifices arranged complementary to the gating plate apertures; a motor configured to rotate the gating plate about the central axis; a controller configured to control the motor to: rotate the gating plate into an aligned clocking orientation in which the gating plate apertures and the faceplate orifices are aligned to initiate injection of a cylindrical array of liquid jets into an injection area toward a cathode plate; rotate the gating plate into a non-aligned clocking orientation of the gating plate apertures relative to the faceplate orifices to terminate formation of the liquid jets after a discrete quantity of the liquid is injected; and a power source configured to apply a pulse of electric current to the faceplate, the electric current flowing through the liquid jets to the cathode plate and transforming the liquid jets into a plasma along the central axis. rotate the gating plate into an aligned clocking orientation in which the gating plate apertures and the faceplate orifices are aligned to initiate injection of a cylindrical array of liquid jets into an injection area toward a cathode plate; rotate the gating plate into a non-aligned clocking orientation of the gating plate apertures relative to the faceplate orifices to terminate formation of the liquid jets after a discrete quantity of the liquid is injected; and a power source configured to apply a pulse of electric current to the faceplate, the electric current flowing through the liquid jets to the cathode plate and transforming the liquid jets into a plasma along the central axis.