Measurements of x-ray emission in the FuZE-Q device

Zap Energy is studying the sheared-flow-stabilized (SFS) Z-pinch for fusion energy applications on the FuZE-Q device. FuZE-Q has a suite of diagnostics which include: two sets of filtered x-ray diodes, an x-ray camera, and a voltage measurement across the device’s anode-cathode gap. Data from these diagnostics will be used to show the evolution of x-ray hot spots in deuterium discharges and to infer temperatures of ~1 keV. These temperatures are comparable to recent Thomson Scattering measurements consistent with multi-keV temperature plasmas [1].

Additionally, studies using hydrogen and helium were carried out in an attempt to generate comparable plasmas using mixtures of deuterium and a non-fusing gas to study high performance discharges with lower neutron yields. Data from these campaigns shows that the technique diminishes both neutron yields and x-ray yields.



[1] B. Levitt et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 132, 2024