Investigation of edge ablation in magnetic anvil cells

The magnetic anvil cell (MAC) is a platform that uses a z-pinch configuration to compress matter into a WDM regime using a pulsed-power driver. The MAC platform uses a dielectric coating, or damper, to quench plasma ablation and allows magnetic pressure to build up just outside the sample. To further develop and diagnose this platform, we need to probe beneath the dense sample surface at peak compression. Specifically, we use a bright x-ray source to examine the material’s edge and determine if the compression is uniform. To perform this experiment, we used the Low Amperage System for Small Implosion Experiments (LASSIE), which is a compact pulsed-power driver designed by the XSPL team at the University of Rochester. LASSIE is a low inductance Linear Transformer Driver (LTD) capable of delivering 250 kA peak currents with a risetime of 200 ns. LASSIE was transported to the Laboratory for Advanced Lasers and Extreme Photonics (L-ALEPH) at Colorado State University and coupled to the outside of the laser’s test chamber. We report on the results comparing coated and bare aluminum wires of 250-500 µm that were probed with the x-rays from the ALEPH laser.