A compact pulse generator for radiographic source supply

Radiography of short-living objects using X-pinch radiation is a new perspective direction in diagnostics developed at the P. N. Lebedev Institute of Physics. High spatial (up to a few tenth of a micrometer) and temporal resolutions (up to 0.1 ns) achieved with the use of the X pinch is extremely interesting to the researches of transient processes and substances in extreme states. The X pinch is produced by two or more crossed wires (with wire diameters up to 30 μm) exploded under the influence of current running through them. Scanning radiation is generated in a dense high-temperature plasma (up to several kiloelectron volts) arising in the region of wire crossing. Among the main requirements on the generator used to create the X pinch are current amplitudes of 150–300 kA and rates of current increase of 1–2 kA/ns. Up to now, these current pulse parameters have been provided only by bulky stationary generators weighing from 300 kg to several tons. In the present paper, a small-size (weighing 70 kg) high-current pulse generator (with current amplitude exceeding 300 kA and pulse rise time of 200 ns) of soft x-ray radiation from high-temperature X-pinch plasma is described. __________ Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 2, pp. 87–92, February, 2007.     

Filamentary structure of the pinch column in plasma focus discharges

The fine structure of a soft (0.8–3 keV) X-ray emitting zone in a 280 kJ neutron optimized plasma focus is investigated. Distinct continuous filaments are registered during the pinch phase. Time-resolved X-ray measurements show that the filamentation exists to ≈ 20–50 ns after the maximum compression. A comparison of these observations with those performed previously with a 56 kJ plasma focus device is also presented.     

Z箍缩动态黑腔阴影像诊断研究

为了获得填充泡沫的钨丝阵动态黑腔动力学演化图像, 研究钨等离子体与泡沫柱的相互作用形式, 在1 MA脉冲功率装置上设计了四分幅紫外探针光(266 nm)阴影成像系统, 该系统时间分辨为2.5 ns, 静态空间分辨优于70 μm, 径向阴影图像展示了从固体丝膨胀消融到先驱等离子体与泡沫相互作用, 从泡沫的箍缩到反弹膨胀的全过程. 图像显示了在长约50 ns时间内丝等离子体以雨的形式持续与泡沫相互作用, 在整个箍缩阶段并未观察到等离子体壳层结构. 定量分析表明泡沫柱的最小箍缩速度为1.0×10⁶ cm/s, 最大箍缩速度为6.0×10⁶ cm/s, 在轴上滞止的直径约为1 mm. 通过对数值模拟计算结果的讨论, 明确了在Z箍缩等离子体状态下阴 影成像结果主要反映了逆轫致吸收效应, 与径向功率波形的时间关联给出了钨等离子体主体与泡沫柱相互作用时刻的图像. 关键词： 动态黑腔 阴影像 箍缩速度     

Compact X-ray radiograph based on a plasma gun

The results of the experiments on the formation of a plasma emitter with small spatial dimensions for pulsed radiography in the soft X-ray spectral range are presented. Emitting hot plasma was formed as a result of compression of the plasma jet by a current pulse with amplitude I _m = 215 kA and rise time T _fr = 200 ns. For the jet formation, we used a plasma gun based on the arc discharge (I _m = 8.5 kA and T _fr = 6 μs) initiated by breakdown over the surface of a dielectric in vacuum. The experiments were carried out with aluminum, tin, copper, and iron plasma jets. A single emitter, i.e., point Z-pinch (PZ-pinch), was formed when an interelectrode gap of a high current generator of 1.3–1.5 mm was used. The smallest spatial dimensions of the emitting region were obtained with the use of aluminum and tin. For a tin jet, the diameter of the emitting region was 7 ± 2 μm and its height was 17 ± 2 μm. The emission pulse duration at half-height was 2–3 ns. The total emission yield per pulse in the spectral range 1.56–1.90 keV was 30–50 mJ for the aluminum pinch and 10–30 mJ for the tin pinch. The developed method makes it possible to carry out radiographic examination of microobjects (including biological ones) 1–1000 μm in thickness, with spatial (10–20 μm) and time (2–3 ns) resolution.     

平行面多金属钨丝Z箍缩实验研究

 利用“阳”加速器对平行面多金属钨丝（直径17 μm，丝间距1 mm，丝数3根或5根）负载进行了Z箍缩聚爆实验研究。在峰值为350 kA,上升沿约80 ns的电流作用下，使用针孔成像技术和X射线诊断技术，获得多钨丝等离子体融合图像及相应的软X射线辐射信号。对金属丝聚爆过程中负载电流变化对实验影响进行了分析，并探讨了引起聚爆过程中的等离子体柱腊肠型不稳定性、扭曲型不稳定性和“热点”及其周围弥散斑等现象的原因。     

D-D neutron yield in the 125 J dense plasma focus Nanofocus

We present here a very small transportable dense plasma focus with 125 J of energy able to be used mainly as an intense fast neutron source. The aim of this work was to design, construct and experimentally study a very compact nuclear fusion apparatus, at the lower energy limit, useful for multiple applications, such as soil humidity measurements, inspection of several materials metallic inclusions, medical neutron-therapies, etc. Besides, the possibility of using the same device as X-rays emitter has been explored. In a narrow range of deuterium filling pressure around 1 mbar, peaked Rogowski dips are observed. Correspondingly, strong neutron and hard X-ray pulses are measured. The neutron pulses last, in average, 50 ns, being about 10⁶ the amount of neutrons per pulse. The performance of this device has shown to be higher than any other plasma focus apparatus, compar ed on the empirical scaling law of neutron yield vs. pinch current.Received: 29 April 2003, Published online: 5 August 2003PACS: 52.58.Lq Z-pinches, plasma focus and other pinch devices - 52.70.Ds Electric and magnetic measurements - 52.70.Nc Particle measurements     

Z箍缩X射线在金属表面产生电荷分离现象

以"阳"加速器(1 MA,80 ns)驱动的Z箍缩等离子体为X射线源研究X射线加载下金属表面出现的电荷分离现象,Z箍缩负载为16根直径5μm的钨丝组成的丝阵,丝阵半径3 mm。强度107W/cm2、半高宽30 ns的软X射线脉冲通过直径5 mm的限光孔辐照半径30 mm、厚3 mm的铜盘中心,在金属表面产生了脉宽相近,幅值kV的电势。测量了该电势沿金属表面的分布,观测到微弱的调制现象。电势的极性表明电子主要沿金属表面运动而不是垂直表面运动,这表明热电效应是造成电荷分离的主要机制。入射X射线强度较弱时,电子的个体行为——光电效应、康普顿效应占主导;当入射强度较大时,弱关联的集体行为——热效应占主导;进一步增大入射X射线强度将出现强关联的集体行为——电荷密度调制状态。     

小型X箍缩的初步实验研究

基于一台紧凑型脉冲电流发生器,对小型X箍缩进行了初步的实验研究。当改变X箍缩双细丝的直径和材料时,流过负载的总电流几乎不变,这表明双细丝阻抗远小于负载的总阻抗。使用这些细丝,X箍缩均能辐射X射线,但随着细丝质量的增大,X射线辐射时刻相对于电流起始时刻的延迟逐渐增大,X射线脉冲通常为亚纳秒脉宽的单峰或几乎重叠的双峰。对于小质量的细丝负载,若驱动电流足够大,时常观察到时间间隔较长的两个X射线脉冲,并被确认为二次箍缩所致。     

Study of plasma parameter’s distribution upon electrical wire explosion

Experimental results on electrical explosion of wires in vacuum with current density  A/m², current rise rate (dI/dt) ~ 50 A/ns and current pulse with amplitude ∼10 kA are presented. The structure of the discharge channels in vacuum has been studied using laser shadow and schlieren imaging with 7 ns frames, UV pinhole images with 5 ns frames and X pinch X-ray backlighting. The information on the dense core material and the conducting plasma distributions was obtained in our experiments by analyzing and comparing the results obtained from all diagnostics.     

Particle pinch in gyrokinetic simulations of closed field-line systems

Gyrokinetic simulations of small-scale turbulent transport in a closed magnetic field-line plasma geometry are presented. The simulations are potentially applicable to dipolar systems such as the levitated dipole experiment (LDX) [J. Kesner, Plasma Phys. Rep. 23, 742 (1997).] and planetary magnetospheres, as well as simpler systems such as the Z pinch. We report here for the first time the existence of a robust particle (and weaker temperature) pinch regime, in which the particles are transported up the density gradient. The particle pinch is driven by non-MHD entropy-mode turbulence at k(⊥) ρ(i) ～ 1 and particle pinch appears at larger η ≡ L(n)/L(T) ? 0.7, consistent with quasilinear theory. Our results suggest that entropy-mode transport will drive the LDX plasma profiles toward a state with η ～ 0.7 and pressure gradients that are near marginal ideal MHD interchange-mode stability.     

“阳”加速器Z-Pinch实验中负载方案的分析

 对“阳”加速器（1.2MV,1.5MA,120ns）上开展Z箍缩（Z-Pinch）内爆等离子体实验产生强X光源的负载设计进行了基本的物理分析,在此基础上给出负载的结构尺寸、气体种类、密度和相关的参数。这些结果对物理问题的分析是有帮助的.     

Interferometric Study of Pinch Phase in Plasma-Focus Discharge at the Time of Neutron Production

A plasma column generated in the PF-1000 device working in deuterium gas at a current level of 1 MA was investigated with interferometric diagnostics and scintillation detectors. The beam of diagnostic laser of 527-nm wavelength was optically split into 16 beams with a time delay in the range from 0 to 220 ns. This diagnostic tool makes possible the imaging of the evolution of pinch geometry, the axial and radial distributions of plasma density in the column at the stagnation phase, and their comparison with the evolution of X-ray and neutron production. The evolution of dense structure is described with respect to its importance for fusion processes.      

小型X箍缩的初步实验研究

基于一台紧凑型脉冲电流发生器,对小型X箍缩进行了初步的实验研究。当改变X箍缩双细丝的直径和材料时,流过负载的总电流几乎不变,这表明双细丝阻抗远小于负载的总阻抗。使用这些细丝,X箍缩均能辐射X射线,但随着细丝质量的增大,X射线辐射时刻相对于电流起始时刻的延迟逐渐增大,X射线脉冲通常为亚纳秒脉宽的单峰或几乎重叠的双峰。对于小质量的细丝负载,若驱动电流足够大,时常观察到时间间隔较长的两个X射线脉冲,并被确认为二次箍缩所致。     

表面绝缘铝平面丝阵Z箍缩实验研究

在"强光一号"装置(1.3 MA,100 ns)上进行了镀2μm聚酰亚胺绝缘膜平面铝丝阵与普通铝丝阵Z箍缩对比实验研究.实验结果表明,表面绝缘能够影响Z箍缩内爆动力学和辐射特性.通过简单理论分析,表面绝缘可能会增加初始阶段的能量沉积和参与内爆的质量;表面绝缘对于抑制平面丝阵多峰现象有明显作用,然而在所进行的实验中,并未观察到对X射线产额的改善作用.     

Z“箍缩”的时间分辨测量技术研究

针对在阳加速器上进行的Z箍缩内爆实验所要求的超快分幅摄影技术研究,主要利用八个微通道板构成摄影系统的快门以达到时间分辨的要求,同时解决了在阳加速器上的精密同步问题以使系统可以稳定、可靠地一次拍摄到八幅图像,图像间隔最小为10 ns,曝光时间可达到3 ns.该技术以分幅原理获得大幅面的图像数据,具有图像特征清晰、空间信息详细的特点,为Z箍缩过程的研究提供了翔实的实验数据.     

丝阵负载Z箍缩内爆动力学研究

丝阵负载内爆动力学行为基本可以分为以下四个过程:1)丝的烧蚀;2)壳层的形成;3)内爆;4)滞止.利用所研制的可见光分幅相机和X射线分幅相机在"强光一号"加速器上对多种型号的丝阵负载Z箍缩内爆动力学行为进行了实验研究,获得了从早期单丝烧蚀到等离子体柱崩毁全过程图像,并对实验结果进行了分析,主要研究成果如下:1)发现存在较长时间的丝烧蚀过程,且单丝烧蚀在轴向上并不均匀;实验得到的内爆轨迹与唯像模型计算结果较为一致.2)不论早期的可见光图像还是中后期的软X射线图像都存在明显的阴极发射,内爆后期在阴极附近存在明 关键词： 丝阵 内爆动力学 Z箍缩 脉冲功率技术     

Theoretical and Experimental Investigations of the Suitability of Low‐Current Z‐Pinch Plasma as an Absorption Medium for Laser Radiation

In this study the electron density of z‐pinch plasmas driven at relatively low currents (ca. 2‐5 kA) was determined using only emission spectroscopy. The suitability of a hollow‐cathode‐triggered z‐pinch plasma as an absorption medium for laser radiation was investigated. The temporal and spatial behaviors of electron temperature and density profiles were estimated using magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations to evaluate the experimental results. Temperature measurements were performed according to the Boltzmann plot method in the visible spectrum range, using the fact that, in low‐current z‐pinch plasma, a local thermodynamic equilibrium prevails for states at high principal quantum numbers (partial local thermodynamic equilibrium). In this case, the Saha equation can be used to determine the electron density. The results demonstrate that this method of determining the electron temperature and density of z‐pinch plasmas is only applicable during the pinching phase. However, in this case the experimentally determined values are in fairly good agreement with the values determined using the MHD model. A user‐oriented 1‐D radiation MHD code was used to simulate the dynamic evolution of the plasma. The experimentally determined maximum electron temperature of approximately 12 eV is in fairly good agreement with the simulated value. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

铝丝阵列Z箍缩的辐射磁流体动力学过程

 在拉格朗日坐标系下，建立了描述Z箍缩等离子体内爆动力学过程的一维三温辐射磁流体力学方程组，并编制了相应的拉氏程序。利用该程序对美国Sandia实验室Saturn装置上的铝丝阵列内爆实验进行了数值模拟，得到了内爆等离子体各参量的时空分布。其中内爆到心时刻、X光峰值功率、X光总能量等计算结果与实验结果基本一致。表明所建立的物理模型和编制的程序是合理和可靠的。     

“强光一号”钨丝阵Z箍缩等离子体辐射特性研究

在“强光一号”装置驱动电流峰值1.4—2.1MA、上升时间80—100ns条件下，研究了不同丝阵直径、丝数及丝直径的钨丝阵负载Z箍缩等离子体的辐射特性.用自行研制的测试系统对等离子体辐射参数进行了诊断.实验获得的最大X射线总能量为34kJ，最大峰值功率为1.28TW.得到了一些关于钨丝阵Z箍缩等离子体辐射特性的规律性认识. 关键词： 钨丝阵 Z箍缩 等离子体辐射     

Dynamic model for plasma opening switches

A dynamic model for plasma opening switches is proposed. The basis of the model is the appearance and development of force instabilities (pinch and sausage) in a spatially nonuniform plasma accelerated by a magnetic field as a driver piston. The proposed model does not require the invocation of subtle effects in the pinch collapse phase and makes it possible, without going beyond the framework of magnetohydrodynamics, to explain the principal operating features of plasma opening switches and to obtain quantitative estimates consistent with experiment. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 69, 25–29 (May 1999)