Plasma diagnostics for x-ray driven foils at Z
We report the development of techniques to diagnose plasmas produced by x-ray photoionization of thin foils placed near the Z-pinch on the Sandia Z Machine. The development of 100+ TW x-ray sources enables access to novel plasma regimes, such as the photoionization equilibrium. To diagnose these plasmas one must simultaneously characterize both the foil and the driving pinch. The desired photoionized plasma equilibrium is only reached transiently for a 2-ns window, placing stringent requirements on diagnostic synchronization. We have adapted existing Sandia diagnostics and fielded an additional gated three-crystal Johann spectrometer with dual lines of sight to meet these requirements. We present sample data from experiments using 1-cm, 180-eV tungsten pinches to photoionize foils made of 200 Aa Fe and 300 Aa NaF co-mixed and sandwiched between 1000 Aa layers of Lexan (C16H14O3), and discuss the application of this work to benchmarking astrophysical models.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- (US)
- OSTI ID:
- 40204807
- Journal Information:
- Review of Scientific Instruments, Journal Name: Review of Scientific Instruments Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 72; ISSN 0034-6748
- Publisher:
- The American Physical Society
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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