Nonthermal x-ray emission from a tungsten z-pinch at 5 MA
- Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States); and others
The generation of intense bursts of warm x rays with power in the 1-TW regime are of interest for the study of in-depth nuclear radiation effects. Results from high-atomic-number single-wire experiments carried out at 0.8 MA on Gamble II in the 1970s showed 0.25% efficient production of nonthermal, bremsstrahlung-like lines and continuum in the 5- to 100-keV regime. This high efficiency in combination with suggested Z{sup 2} and I{sup 2} scaling of the nonthermal radiation motivated the present experiment to measure and model the radiation from the z pinch formed from compact high-Z wire arrays at high current. In the experiment, tungsten wire arrays of length 20 mm on a mounting radius of 2 mm were imploded over the mass range 1 to 16 mg on the Saturn accelerator operating with a peak discharge current of 5 MA. As in the Gamble-II experiments, bright spots were observed to form at {approximately}1-mm intervals along the z axis at the time of a first implosion and to be the source of the hard radiation measured. Maximum radiation occurred for masses less than or approximately equal to 4 mg. The experiment was simulated using the LASNEX and TIP numerical codes with a nonthermal model. The timing of the multiple implosions, owing to compression and expansion of the resulting plasma are observed to be in agreement with predictions from both codes and analytic modeling.
- Research Organization:
- Sandia National Laboratory
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-94AL85000
- OSTI ID:
- 182737
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-950612--; ISBN 0-7803-2669-5
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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