Time- and Space-Resolved studies of X-ray Emission from Hybrid X-pinch Plasmas

Time- and space-resolved soft-X-ray spectra produced by Hybrid X-pinches (HXPs) are being obtained with an X-ray streak camera and a time-integrated crystal spectrometer, respectively. The experiments utilize the XP generator at Cornell University in the 200-300 kA peak current, ~100 ns rise time operating mode. The streak camera shows Mo wire HXP continuum X-ray bursts <30 ps and line radiation that lasts ~250 ps. Source size measurements are obtained from high magnification imaging of different objects in which diffraction patterns are observed. The implied source sizes are as small as 1-2 µm. Electrode gap distance optimization was carried out for Ag wire HXPs in order to obtain a single hotspot for imaging purposes. A slit-step wedge camera monitors the source size of the emission in different spectral ranges, and PCDs with different filters are used to determine the radiated energy from the hotspots. Plasma parameters were estimated for Ag, Mo and Al. [1]

[1] Pikuz, S.A., Shelkovenko, T.A. & Hammer, D.A. Plasma Phys. Rep. (2015) 41: 445. https://doi.org/10.1134/S1063780X15060045