Studying Radiation from Z-pinch Wire Array and X-Pinch Plasmas: K-shell Mg to M-shell Mo

Journal Article · Thu Sep 10 00:00:00 EDT 2009 · AIP Conference Proceedings

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3241193· OSTI ID:21344616

Safronova, A S; Kantsyrev, V L; Safronova, U I; Esaulov, A A; Yilmaz, M F; Ouart, N D; Shrestha, I; Williamson, K W; Osborne, G C; Wilcox, P G; Weller, M E; Shlyaptseva, V ^[1]; Coverdale, C A; Jones, B; Ampleford, D J ^[2]; LePell, P D ^[3]; Deeney, C ^[4]

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1. University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557 (United States)
2. Sandia National Laboratories Albuquerque, NM 87185 (United States)
3. KTech Corporation, Albuquerque, NM 87123 (United States)
4. NNSA/DOE, Headquarters, Washington, DC 20585 (United States)

University-scale Z-pinch generators are able to produce plasmas with a broad range of temperatures, densities, and opacity properties depending on the type, size, and mass of wire-array loads and wire materials. Experiments with very different Z-pinch loads were performed on the 1 MA Zebra generator at UNR and analyzed during the last five years including Single and Nested Cylindrical, Conical, and various types of Planar Wire Arrays. It is shown that such wire arrays are good sources of x-rays and that they produce significant radiation yield (up to 25 kJ) on a ns time scale, and generate bright spots of sub-mm size. They can be used for studying radiative properties of moderate density (between 10{sup 18} cm{sup -3} and 5x10{sup 21} cm{sup -3}) and temperature (<=1.5 keV) plasmas. In addition, X-pinches generated higher density (>10{sup 22} cm{sup -3}) and temperature (>2 keV) plasmas on scales as small as a few mum to several mm in size. Wire materials with a broad range of nuclear charge Z were used, ranging from low-Z, such as alloyed Al wires with varying concentrations of Mg, to mid-Z, such as Stainless steel, Cu, Brass, and Mo. Uniform (made from one wire material) as well as combined (made from two wire materials with almost equal wire masses) wire arrays were considered. Uniform, combined, symmetric and asymmetric X-pinches (some of which included a small fraction of tracer Al wires) were also considered. Non-LTE kinetic models to account for K- and L-shell radiation were employed to understand radiative properties of Z-pinch and X-pinch plasmas. Implosion characteristics of such loads are discussed using the wire dynamics and MHD models. Opacity effects of Z-pinch plasmas are studied and benefits of using alloyed and tracer wires are highlighted.

• OSTI ID: 21344616
• Journal Information: AIP Conference Proceedings, Journal Name: AIP Conference Proceedings Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 1161; ISSN APCPCS; ISSN 0094-243X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ABLATION
ALLOYS
CARBON ADDITIONS
COPPER
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELECTRON TEMPERATURE
ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE
ELEMENTS
ENERGY RANGE
FLUID MECHANICS
HIGH ALLOY STEELS
HYDRODYNAMICS
IMPLOSIONS
IONIZING RADIATIONS
IRON ALLOYS
IRON BASE ALLOYS
KEV RANGE
L SHELL
LASER IMPLOSIONS
LASERS
LINEAR PINCH DEVICES
LINEAR Z PINCH DEVICES
LONGITUDINAL PINCH
M SHELL
MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS
MECHANICS
METALS
OPACITY
OPEN PLASMA DEVICES
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PINCH DEVICES
PINCH EFFECT
PLASMA
PLASMA DENSITY
PLASMA PRODUCTION
RADIATIONS
STAINLESS STEELS
STEELS
THERMONUCLEAR DEVICES
TRANSITION ELEMENT ALLOYS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
WIRES
X RADIATION
X-RAY LASERS