A flash x-ray source driven by stacked Blumleins producing 500-keV photons
A number of triplate Blumlein circuits have been stacked in series at one end while being charged in parallel and synchronously commuted at the other end with a single hydrogen thyratron. Having no other switching elements, operation has been possible at repetition rates to 100 Hz. Voltage gains of 8.8 have been maintained in the stack for periods on the order of 40 nanoseconds, accessing open circuit voltages in excess of 0.6 MV. Several different scale devices have been constructed, and it appears that the maximum number of lines which can be stacked has not yet been reached. X-ray diodes have been fabricated and matched to these pulsed power sources. The discharge voltages developed across these diodes approach 90% of the full open circuit voltage and discharge currents range from 500 to 1,000A. Peak x-ray powers generated exceed 107 R/s at the output window of the device. High repetition rates also allow for an average emitted x-ray dose of 25 R/s. Spectral measurements have shown the output to be a true continuum, peaking in intensities of 1,011 keV/keV of bandwidth and containing useful intensities of photons up to 450 key. The devices are well suited for a wide range of applications requiring high peak and/or average x-ray powers. These include the excitation of nuclear materials in the study of reactions and the pumping of high pressure gas lasers.
- Research Organization:
- Texas Univ., Dallas, TX (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 6375220
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Thesis (Ph.D)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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