H. Sze

Valve and nozzle design for injecting a shell-on-shell gas puff load into a z pinch

We have developed a dual-plenum gas valve coupled to a double shell nozzle for the generation of “shell-on-shell” gas loads in z-pinch plasma radiation source experiments. The gas density profiles of the nozzles have been characterized with laser interferometry. This valve/nozzle combination has been successfully fielded on the Double-EAGLE and Saturn pulsed-power generators. The design and characterization of the shell-on-shell valve/nozzle are presented in this article.

Initial results for an argon Z pinch using a double-shell gas puff

Recent observations are given for an argon double-shell gas puff imploded with up to 4 MA in 200 ns on the Double Eagle generator [G. B. Frazier et al., Digest of Technical Papers, Fourth IEEE Pulsed Power Conference (IEEE, Piscataway, NJ, 1983), p. 583]. Good K-shell x-ray output with good pinch quality was observed. A novel experimental procedure was used to selectively seed the inner or outer gas plenums with a chlorine tracer. The tracer data provide the first direct experimental evidence that the mass initially closest to the axis is the dominant contributor to the hot core of the radiating pinch.

Proof-of-principle laser-induced fluorescence measurements of gas distributions from supersonic nozzles

We have applied the technique of acetone laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) to the measurement of gas distributions from axisymmetric supersonic nozzles used to produce loads for z-pinch plasma radiation sources. Typical peak particle densities are ∼1017 particles/cm3 for loads imploded on the Double-EAGLE facility. The experimental approach uses a pulsed laser (266 nm wavelength, 2.2 mJ per pulse, 5 ns pulse width, and 3×107 W/cm2 intensity) to obtain a snapshot along a chord through the center of the gas density distribution at an arbitrary axial distance, z, from the nozzle exit. We report measurements at 4.3 and 20.0 mm from the exit of the nozzle for comparison with previous measurements. We find acceptable agreement between LIF and laser interferometer measurements. Strengths of the LIF approach include simplicity of implementation and high radial spatial resolution.

Implosion dynamics and radiative characteristics of a high yield structured gas puff load

A large diameter gas puff nozzle, designed to produce a radial mass profile with a substantial fraction of the injected mass on the axis, has demonstrated an increase in K shell yield by nearly a factor of 2, to 21kJ, in an argon Z pinch at 3.5MA peak current and 205ns implosion time [H. Sze, J. Banister, B. H. Failor, J. S. Levine, N. Qi, A. L. Velikovich, J. Davis, D. Lojewski, and P. Sincerny, Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 105001 (2005)] and 80kJ at 6MA and 227ns implosion time. The initial gas distribution produced by this nozzle has been determined and related to measured plasma dynamics during the implosion run-in phase. The role of two gas shells and the center jet are elucidated by the inclusion of a tracer element sequentially into each of the three independent plenums and by evacuating each plenum. The implosion dynamics and radiative characteristics of the Z pinches are presented.

Magnetic Rayleigh-Taylor instability mitigation and efficient radiation production in gas puff Z-pinch implosions

Large radius Z-pinches are inherently susceptible to the magnetic Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) instability because of their relatively long acceleration path. This has been reflected in a significant reduction of the argon K-shell yield as was observed when the diameter of the load was increased from 2.5to>4cm. Recently, an approach was demonstrated to overcome the challenge with a structured gas puff load that mitigates the RT instability, enhances the energy coupling, and leads to a high compression, high yield Z-pinch. The novel load consists of a “pusher,” outer region plasma that carries the current and couples energy from the driver, a “stabilizer,” inner region plasma that mitigates the RT growth, and a “radiator,” high-density center jet plasma that is heated and compressed to radiate. In 3.5-MA, 200-ns, 12-cm initial diameter implosions, the Ar K-shell yield has increased by a factor of 2, to 21kJ, matching the yields obtained on the same accelerator with 100-ns, 2.5-cm-diam implosions. Further tests of ...

One-and two-dimensional modeling of argon K-shell emission from gas-puff Z-pinch plasmas

In this paper, a theoretical model is described and demonstrated that serves as a useful tool for understanding K-shell radiating Z-pinch plasma behavior. Such understanding requires a self-consistent solution to the complete nonlocal thermodynamic equilibrium kinetics and radiation transport in order to realistically model opacity effects and the high-temperature state of the plasma. For this purpose, we have incorporated into the MACH2 two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) code [R. E. Peterkin et al., J. Comput. Phys. 140, 148 (1998)] an equation of state, called the tabular collisional radiative equilibrium (TCRE) model [J. W. Thornhill et al., Phys. Plasmas 8, 3480 (2001)], that provides reasonable approximations to the plasma’s opacity state. MACH2 with TCRE is applied toward analyzing the multidimensional implosion behavior that occurred in Decade Quad (DQ) [D. Price et al., Proceedings of the 12th IEEE Pulsed Power Conference, Monterey, CA, edited by C. Stallings and H. Kirbie (IEEE, New York, ...

Long-implosion plasma radiation sources using “solid-fill” nozzles

Solid-fill nozzles for long-implosion Z-pinch experiments to produce argon K-shell x rays (photon energy >3.1 keV) have been developed. With a 7 cm diam nozzle, which is appropriate for a 200 ns driver, stable implosions at 180 ns and 4 MA have produced peak argon K-shell yields exceeding 15 kJ. As previously seen with short (∼100 ns) implosion times, the K-shell yield scales as the fourth power of peak current, I4. Limited testing with a 10 cm nozzle, which is appropriate for a >250 ns driver, has also achieved a stable implosion.

Long implosion time (240 ns) Z-pinch experiments with a large diameter (12 cm) double-shell nozzle

Recently, an 8 cm diameter double-shell nozzle has produced argon Z pinches with high K-shell yields with implosion time of 210 ns. To produce even longer implosion time Z pinches for facilities such as Decade Quad [D. Price, et al., “Electrical and Mechanical Design of the Decade Quad in PRS Mode,” in Proceedings of the 12th IEEE Pulsed Power Conference, Monterey, CA, edited by C. Stallings and H. Kirbie (IEEE, New York, 1999), p. 489] (9 MA short circuit current at 300 ns), a larger nozzle (12 cm outer diameter) was designed and fabricated. During initial testing on Double-EAGLE [P. Sincerny et al., Proceedings of the 5th IEEE Pulsed Power Conference, Arlington, VA, edited by M. F. Rose and P. J. Turchi (IEEE, New York, 1985), p. 151], 9 kJ of argon K-shell radiation in a 6 ns full width at half maximum pulse was produced with a 240 ns implosion. The initial gas distributions produced by various nozzle configurations have been measured and their impact on the final radiative characteristics of the pinch...

Measurement and Analysis of Continuum Radiation From a Large-Diameter Long Implosion Time Argon Gas Puff

Time-resolved measurements of the absolute free-bound (FB) continuum spectrum emitted from a 12-cm-diameter argon gas-puff Z-pinch driven at ~6-MA peak current with 220- to 260-ns implosion times are reported. A crystal spectrometer is used with silicon diode detectors to provide kiloelectronvolt spectral resolution. The energy and absolute-intensity calibration procedures for the spectrometer are described. The slope of the FB continuum is well represented by a decaying exponential spectrum with a single electron temperature from which spatially averaged, time-resolved (Te(t)), and time-integrated (langTerang) electron temperatures are inferred. An expression for the absolute FB continuum, which takes into account recombination onto bare as well as H-like species, is presented and used to infer time-integrated spatially averaged ion densities langnirang. The values of langTerang and langnirang are in general agreement with the values of these quantities obtained by using the conventional K-shell line-ratio method. Values of Te(t) peak on the rise of the continuum radiation pulse and gradually decrease during the pulse. The fraction of the total energy radiated in the K-shell that resides in the FB continuum is 6%-10%, and this fraction increases with langnirang. Calculated continuum spectra are in agreement with measured spectra

Z

Hardware and software have been developed for recording and displaying accurate image and spectral data produced by z-pinch plasma radiation sources at the Double-EAGLE facility at Maxwell Physics International. Desktop computers are used to acquire the data, analyze it, and display and print the results. Of the four charge-coupled device (CCD) image recording systems implemented, two record x rays directly and two record optical light emission from electron–excited phosphors. The CCD systems required careful shielding to allow them to operate in the harsh radio frequency noise environment. During a series of shots at the SATURN facility at Sandia National Laboratories, the quality of a keV x-ray spectrum recorded directly with a CCD compared well with an equivalent spectrum recorded with 2497 film.