Dynamics and scaling of z-pinch K-shell x-ray sources

Fast z-pinch implosions provide high fluence 1-10 keV photon energy radiation environments. We discuss recent work with $\sim $6.7 keV stainless steel and 8.4 keV Cu wire array sources on Sandia's Z machine pulsed power driver. Implosion dynamics are investigated along with scaling of K-shell yield with atomic number and coupled energy. L-shell radiative cooling can remove energy from the plasma and limit K-shell yield scaling at high mass, high generator current, and moderate atomic number. These K-shell line sources also provide an opportunity for spectroscopic diagnosis of high energy density plasma conditions.