The Sandia Z-Machine (IMAGE) University of California - Davis Caption The Z machine is in Albuquerque, N.M., and is part of the Pulsed Power Program, which started at Sandia National Laboratories in the 1960s. Pulsed power concentrates electrical energy and turns it into short pulses of enormous power, which are then used to generate X-rays and gamma rays. Credit Randy Montoya Usage Restrictions Provide credit. License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.