An oil-free compact X-pinch plasma radiation source: Design and radiation performance

This paper describes a new, high-current, X-pinch radiation source recently developed and tested at Idaho State University. Our design is based on two linear transformer driver (LTD) bricks arranged in side-by-side geometry and directly coupled with an X-pinch load. The salient features of our 2-LTD...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Review of scientific instruments 2017-06, Vol.88 (6), p.063504-063504
Main Authors: Shapovalov, Roman V., Spielman, Rick B., Imel, George R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bricks
Dense plasmas
Plasma radiation
Scientific apparatus & instruments
Short circuits
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Summary:This paper describes a new, high-current, X-pinch radiation source recently developed and tested at Idaho State University. Our design is based on two linear transformer driver (LTD) bricks arranged in side-by-side geometry and directly coupled with an X-pinch load. The salient features of our 2-LTD-bricks are its simplicity, compactness, and portability: there is no oil, no water, and no SF6. It can be easily relocated to any place where a compact X-pinch radiation source is wanted. The driver can store up to 2.8 kJ of initial energy and can deliver more than 200-kA peak-current with less than 200-ns, 10%-90%, rise time into a short-circuit load. When the driver is coupled with an X-pinch load, it generates a very fast and bright radiation pulse. Source size measurements indicate that this radiation originates from a very small dense plasma, known as a “hot spot.”
ISSN:0034-6748
1089-7623
DOI:10.1063/1.4986460