Vera M. Romanova

HIGH-LUMINOSITY MONOCHROMATIC X-RAY BACKLIGHTING USING AN INCOHERENT PLASMA SOURCE TO STUDY EXTREMELY DENSE PLASMAS (INVITED)

A new diagnostic method for dense plasmas, monochromatic x-ray backlighting, is described. In this method, shadow images of a bright, dense plasma can be obtained with high spatial resolution using monochromatic radiation from a separate plasma, permitting a major reduction in the required backlighting source power. The object plasma is imaged utilizing spherically bent mica crystals as x-ray optical elements. Experimental results, namely images of test objects obtained using x-ray radiation having different photon energies, are presented. Shadow images of exploding Al wire plasmas in the 1s2–1s2p line radiation of He-like Al XII are also shown. Spatial resolution as fine as 4 μm is demonstrated. The scheme described here is useful for backlighting extended high density plasmas, and could be a less costly alternative to using x-ray lasers for such purposes.A new diagnostic method for dense plasmas, monochromatic x-ray backlighting, is described. In this method, shadow images of a bright, dense plasma can be obtained with high spatial resolution using monochromatic radiation from a separate plasma, permitting a major reduction in the required backlighting source power. The object plasma is imaged utilizing spherically bent mica crystals as x-ray optical elements. Experimental results, namely images of test objects obtained using x-ray radiation having different photon energies, are presented. Shadow images of exploding Al wire plasmas in the 1s2–1s2p line radiation of He-like Al XII are also shown. Spatial resolution as fine as 4 μm is demonstrated. The scheme described here is useful for backlighting extended high density plasmas, and could be a less costly alternative to using x-ray lasers for such purposes.

Bragg X-Ray Optics for Imaging Spectroscopy of Plasma Microsources

Bragg x-ray optics based on crystals with transmission and reflection properties bent on cylindrical or spherical surfaces are discussed. Applications of such optics for obtaining one- and two-dimensional monochromatic images of different plasma sources in the wide spectral range 1-20 Å are described. Samples of spectra obtained with spectral resolution of up to λ/Δλ ~ 10,000 and spatial resolution of up to 18 μm are presented.

Distribution of matter in the current-carrying plasma and dense core of the discharge channel formed upon electrical wire explosion

Distribution of matter in the discharge channel formed upon a nanosecond electrical explosion of a single wire in air and vacuum was studied experimentally. Simultaneous use of optical, UV, and X-ray diagnostics made it possible to distinguish qualitatively different regions of the discharge channel, such as the current-carrying layers and the region occupied by a weakly conducting cold plasma. Several series of experiments with 25-µm-diameter 12-mm-long wires made of different materials were performed. The charging voltage and the current amplitude were varied in the ranges of U0 = 10–20 kV and Imax ∼ 5–10 kA, respectively. Explosion regimes with a current pause and with and without current interruption, as well as with wire preheating in air and vacuum, were studied. Shadow and schlieren images of the discharge channel were obtained using optical probing at the second harmonic of a YAG: Nd+3 laser (λ = 0.532 µm, τ ∼ 10 ns). In the experiments carried out in vacuum, X-ray images of the discharge channel were also obtained using an X-pinch as a point source of probing radiation and UV images were recorded using a four-frame MCP camera.

Analysis of the discharge channel structure upon nanosecond electrical explosion of wires

The structure of the discharge channel during nanosecond wire explosions has been studied using laser probing. Wires of 25μm diameter and 12mm length were exploded in air and vacuum by 10kA current pulse having a 50A∕ns rate of rise. Upon electrical explosion of thin wires in the air, the development of shock waves was observed. The propagation of shock waves was analyzed, and it was possible to draw conclusions on the location of the flow of most of the current in the volume of the discharge channel. This permitted distinguishing between two scenarios (shunting and internal) of the interelectrode gap breakdown development. The scenario depends to a large extent on the properties of the exploding wire material. The same two scenarios are valid upon electrical explosion of wire in vacuum. Moreover, if secondary breakdown develops in the internal scenario, the value of the energy deposition in the wire material during explosion in vacuum may be comparable with that found during explosion in air.

Nanosecond electric explosion of a tungsten wire in different media

The effect of surrounding media of different densities and electric strengths on the heating dynamics of a micron wire during its nanosecond electric explosion is investigated. Tungsten wires with diameters of d = 25–50 μm were exploded in air and water at a current rise time of (dI/dt) ∼ 1010 A/s. The diagnostic complex is described.

Spectroscopic investigations of the short wavelength x-ray spectra from X-pinch plasmas

Investigations of X-pinch plasma structure and generation of an accelerated electron beam in the X-pinch using the methods of x-ray emission spectroscopy are discussed. The diagnostics allowed to make an investigation of the x-ray radiation with high spectral and spatial resolution over the spectral range 0.5 to more than 10 A from a variety of wire materials.

Accelerated electrons and hard X-ray emission from X-pinches

The generation of accelerated electrons in the X-pinch minidiode is studied experimentally. It is well known that the explosion of an X-pinch consisting of two or more wires is accompanied by the formation of a minidiode, in which electrons are accelerated. The subsequent slowing down of electrons in the products of wire explosion causes the generation of hard X-ray (HXR) emission with photon energies higher than 10 keV. In this work, the spatial and temporal characteristics of X-pinch HXR emission are studied, the specific features of HXR generation are discussed, and the capability of applying this radiation to point-projection X-ray imaging of various plasma and biological objects is considered. The parameters of the electron beam produced in the X-pinch are measured using a Faraday cup and X-ray diagnostics. The experiments were performed with the XP generator (550 kA, 100 ns) at Cornell University (United States) and the BIN generator (270 kA, 150 ns) at the Lebedev Physical Institute (Russia).

Stratification dynamics and the development of electrothermal instability at the wire explosion

The stratification dynamics at wire explosion of copper and nickel wires (25 and 50 μm) in air is studied under current dwell conditions. Experimental and theoretical data are presented for the stratification of a core due to electrothermal instability. The evolution of strata during the quasi-adiabatic expansion of the core is studied, and it is shown that the elongation of strata and their dynamics are well described in terms of a model of electrothermal instability for conductors with different diameters.

Electric explosion of fine wires: Three groups of materials

Experimental data demonstrating differences in the structures of channels formed during nanosecond discharges through fine wires made of different materials are presented. In addition to the traditional two classes of metals and alloys (the copper and tungsten groups), a new class is proposed to which materials of the nickel type belong. Their properties combine the characteristic properties of the two traditional groups, due to which they occupy an intermediate position between the latter. This manifests itself in the unstable character of explosion, the type of which can change drastically when changing the ambient medium or other conditions. Most of the reported results were obtained at a small setup with maximum values of the current and voltage of 10 kA and 20 kV, respectively, the current rise time being about 300 ns. An attempt is made to construct a scenario of the development of a nanosecond explosion that would make it possible to qualitatively describe the formation of the discharge channel structure. The analysis is based on the recent experimental results indicating that the cores formed in the course of the discharge have a tubular structure.

Maximum Energy Deposition During Resistive Stage and Overvoltage at Current Driven Nanosecond Wire Explosion

A wire explosion in a gaseous and condensed media extends possibilities of studying of phase transition of the wire material. The copper and tungsten wires of the diameter of d=25 mum were exploded in vacuum, air, and water by current pulse with the rate increase of ~ 50 A/ns. Energy deposited into the wires at different stages of explosion in the media and maximum voltage reached during wire explosion was estimated from the experiments. Laser probing measurements were performed with the second harmonic of a YAG:Nd+3 laser (lambda=0.53 mum; Deltat=10 ns). Shadow images of the expanding wire materials and shock waves leading the explosion were obtained at different times during the discharge