Development of Cobalt-doped Be for MagLIF experiments on the Z-machine

We report on the development of a new Cobalt-doped Beryllium alloy (known as CoBe) for use in fusion experiments on the Z-machine. Beryllium is presently used as a target material in a fusion concept known as magnetized liner inertial fuson (MagLIF). In this concept a clyindrically imploding Be tube (or "liner") compresses and heats deuterium fuel to thermonuclear conditions. Previous experiments have shown that the inner surface of the tube mixes with the hot fuel at stagnation. To better diagnose the Be mix we dispersed Co throughout the bulk of the Be tube. By capturing images and spectra of the Co K-shell emission (7 keV) we then can infer the position and conditions of the Be mix. Experiments planned for August 2022 will be the first to test the new CoBe alloy.