Z-PINCH IMPLOSION DRIVEN X-RAY LASER RESEARCH

M.K. MATZEN; R.J. DUKART; B.A. HAMMEL; D.L. HANSON; W.W. HSING; T.W. HUSSEY; E.J. McGUIRE; M.A. PALMER; R.B. SPIELMAN

doi:doi:10.1051/jphyscol:1986618

International Colloquium on X-ray Lasers / Colloque International sur les Lasers Rayons X

J. Phys. Colloques 47 (1986) C6-135-C6-139
DOI: 10.1051/jphyscol:1986618

Z-PINCH IMPLOSION DRIVEN X-RAY LASER RESEARCH

M.K. MATZEN, R.J. DUKART, B.A. HAMMEL, D.L. HANSON, W.W. HSING, T.W. HUSSEY, E.J. McGUIRE, M.A. PALMER et R.B. SPIELMAN

Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM 87185, U.S.A.

Abstract
In experiments performed during the past two years on Proto II (a 10-TW pulsed-power accelerator), we imploded annular plasmas onto thin-walled annular x-ray laser targets in order to create a radiation pump source for x-ray laser physics studies. This Z-pinch must be axially uniform and must efficiently produce the pump radiation without destroying the laser medium on the cylindrical axis of symmetry. To characterize the pump source x-rays and lasant conditions, we regularly field a large number of x-ray diagnostics. In recent experiments, we produced over 15 kJ of ≥1-keV pump radiation with an imploding neon gas-puff load. We are considering both recombination and resonance-pumped x-ray laser schemes.