This thesis presents experimental results from a novel laboratory platform to produce high-energy-density rotating plasmas implemented at the MAGPIE pulsed-power generator. The experiments are probed using a combination of self-emission imaging, laser interferometry and Thomson Scattering diagnostics. Two configurations of the experiment were implemented, demonstrating control of the amount of angular momentum in the flow.

Rotating plasma flows are produced by the convergence of eight ablation flows generated from a cylindrical wire array Z pinch, which are azimuthally deflected by an external magnetic field. The ablation flows provide mass, angular momentum and confining ram pressure. The resulting plasma density structure is characterized by a higher density thin shell (e.g., with electron density $n_e = (5\pm 1)\times10^{17}$ cm$^{-3}$ in the initial experiments) surrounding a low density core (e.g., $n_e = (1.0\pm 0.2)\times10^{17}$ cm$^{-3}$), supported by the centrifugal barrier introduced by angular momentum.

The results demonstrate the formation of a differentially rotating plasma flow. In the initial (low angular momentum experiments), the rotation velocity $u_\theta = 23.9 \pm 2.1$ km/s; whereas in the increased angular momentum experiments, $u_\theta = 39.0 \pm 2.9$ km/s. The plasma undergoes between 0.5 to 2 full rotations in the experimental time-frame, with the inner region completing more revolutions.

It is also discovered that the rotation profile corresponds to a quasi-Keplerian stratification, meaning that it is expected to be hydrodynamically stable whilst being unstable under the magneto-rotational instability. However, no evidence of the instability was observed, probably due to the absence of out-of-plane magnetic fields.