Gas X-pinch: The progress, technology and results

Abstract

The plasma pinch on the basis of a gas jet with special density distribution is described. The gas jet was produced by means of a pulse gas valve with a nozzle that was capable of forming a gas flow with a maximum density in the center of the discharge gap. The diagnostic techniques involved measurements of the discharge current and the pinch voltage, the size of the radiation area and the X-ray intensity. The experiments with different gases (Ar, Ne and N2) showed that as a result of the discharge at this gas distribution the hot plasma area of “point” form (its typical size is 100 μm and lifetime 3–5 ns) arises in the middle of the discharge gap. This area is the X-ray source of energy of quanta 50–5000 eV. The radiation spectrum depends on the gas type. The experimental results are presented.