Implosion mediated gas-puff hybrid X-pinch

Abstract

Imploding gas-puff z-pinches are efficient sources of intense x-rays. However, the unpredictable size, number, and location of hot spots along the pinch axis make them unsuitable for applications such as point-projection radiography. Crossed wire or hybrid X-pinches, on the other hand, provide small, localized sources but require fast current rise times and must be reloaded after each pulse. In this Letter, we present the first experimental demonstration of an implosion mediated gas-puff hybrid x-pinch in which an annular gas-puff implosion is shaped and focused onto a pair of conical electrodes separated by a small gap. This setup produces an intense x-ray source with controllable timing that can be operated with or without a central wire. Because the gas-puff implosion time determines the formation of the pinch, this configuration can continue to operate efficiently as a point x-ray source for longer current pulses than conventional x-pinches.