K-shell radiation physics in low- to moderate-atomic-number z-pinch plasmas on the Z accelerator

Dense z-pinches produced by 100 ns implosions of wire arrays or gas puffs produce substantial soft X-ray power. One class of z-pinch radiation sources includes lowto moderate-atomic-number K-shell radiators, such as aluminum and iron. These loads are designed for 1–10 keV K-shell X-ray generation, and offer opportunities for crystal spectroscopy that can reveal fundamental properties of the plasma when studied using plasma spectroscopic modeling. Typically these plasmas are characterized by ion densities of 10 cm , diameters of 1–5mm, electron temperatures up to several keV, and a range of opacities of the K-shell lines. Measurements from wire arrays on Sandia’s 20MA Z accelerator are presented along with see front matter r 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. jqsrt.2005.05.027 ding author. Tel.: +1 505 284 9481; fax: +1 505 845 7685. ress: [email protected] (B. Jones). a multi-program laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin Company, for the s Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under Contract DE-AC04-