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U.S. Department of Energy
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Radiation emission characteristics in the x-ray/EUV from spherically pinched and vacuum spark sources

Conference ·
OSTI ID:178235
; ;  [1]
  1. Advanced Laser and Fusion Technology, Inc., Hull, Quebec (Canada)

Extensive research and development have been pursued worldwide on various schemes of plasma radiation sources, such as the laser-plasma X-ray source, the dense plasma focus, and the spherical pinch. At Advanced Laser and Fusion Technology (ALFT), a prototype spherical pinch X-ray source, SPX II, and a commercial machine, SPX III, have been developed as broadband radiation sources. More recently, an alternative and complementary X-ray device, the vacuum spark VSX I, has been developed The spherical pinch is a novel concept based on the principle of strong spherically convergent shock waves compressing a performed plasma in the center of a spherical vessel. The vacuum spark is essentially a capacitor discharge through two properly shaped electrodes in a high vacuum environment (pressure around 1 {times} 10{sup {minus}5} Torr). During the discharge minute spots of high temperature plasmas are formed in the vicinity of the anode and strong line radiation, characteristic of the electrode material, can be generated in the soft X-ray region. The work on the spherical pinch sources, SPX II and SPX III, are described in terms of their specifications and radiation output, and on the vacuum spark source, VSX I, is presented in terms of its setup and experimental results.

OSTI ID:
178235
Report Number(s):
CONF-950612--; ISBN 0-7803-2669-5
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English