Nonthermal X-ray emission from a tungsten Z-pinch at 5 MA

• Main Authors: Sanford, T.W.L., Nash, T.J., Marder, B.M., Spielman, R.B., Seamen, J.F., McGurn, J.S., Mock, R.C., Gilliland, T.L., Jobe, D., Vargas, M., Stygar, W.A., Humphreys, D.R., Maxon, S., Hammer, J.H., Alley, W.E., Zimmerman, G.B., Eddleman, J.L., Estabrook, K.G., Springer, P.T., Thoe, R.S., Emig, J., Bruns, C., Hernandez, J., De Groot, J.S., Mosher, D., Welch, D.R., Struve, K.
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Subjects: Current measurement; Fault location; Length measurement; Nuclear power generation; Power generation; Production; Radiation effects; Saturn; Tungsten; Wire
• ISSN: 0730-9244; 2576-7208
• DOI: 10.1109/PLASMA.1995.531739

Summary form only given. The generation of intense bursts of warm X-rays (10 to 100 keV) 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 /spl sim/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.