Design of the PST: A Diagnostic for 1-D Imaging of Fast Z-Pinch Power Emissions
Fast Z-pinch technology developed on the Z machine at Sandia National Laboratories can produce up to 230 TW of thermal x-ray power for applications in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) and weapons physics experiments. During implosion, these Z-pinches develop Rayleigh-Taylor (R-T) instabilities which are very difficult to diagnose and which functionally diminish the overall pinch quality. The Power-Space-Time (PST) instrument is a newly configured diagnostic for measuring the pinch power as a function of both space and time in a Z-pinch. Placing the diagnostic at 90 degrees from the Z-pinch axis, the PST provides a new capability in collecting experimental data on R-T characteristics for making meaningful comparisons to magneto-hydrodynamic computer models. This paper is a summary of the PST diagnostic design. By slit-imaging the Z-pinch x-ray emissions onto a linear scintillator/fiber-optic array coupled to a streak camera system, the PST can achieve {approximately}100 {micro}m spatial resolution and {approximately}1.3 ns time resolution. Calculations indicate that a 20 {micro}m thick scintillating detection element filtered by 1,000 {angstrom} of Al is theoretically linear in response to Plankian x-ray distributions corresponding to plasma temperatures from 40 eV to 150 eV, By calibrating this detection element to x-ray energies up to 5,000 eV, the PST can provide pinch power as a function of height and time in a Z-pinch for temperatures ranging from {approximately}40 eV to {approximately}400 eV. With these system pm-meters, the PST can provide data for an experimental determination of the R-T mode number, amplitude, and growth rate during the late-time pinch implosion.
- Research Organization:
- Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- US Department of Energy (US)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-94AL85000
- OSTI ID:
- 761847
- Report Number(s):
- SAND2000-1960C; TRN: US0005294
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Student Intern Annual Symposium, Albuquerque, NM (US), 08/10/2000; Other Information: PBD: 3 Aug 2000
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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