World-Record Radiated X-Ray Power Obtained with Magnetically-Driven Implosions
In magnetically-driven plasma experiments on the 10-MA, 20-TW Saturn pulsed-power accelerator at Sandia
National Laboratories a total radiated x-ray power of 85 TW has been measured. The radiated power exceeds
the peak electrical power on Saturn by a factor of four. This world-record result demonstrates a
pulsewidth/power flexibility, at a total energy that is roughly constant, that is expanding the applicability of
intense soft x-rays from an imploding z pinch to the science-based stockpile stewardship program. These high
quality implosions are the latest in a series of advances in the development and application of z-pinch x-ray
sources based upon a multi-year experimental, diagnostic, and theoretical research effort in the R&D, ICF, and
Test Programs at Sandia. The improved x-ray power was attained by increasing the number of tungsten wires
(to 90 or 120 compared to 40 or 24 in earlier experiments) and the initial wire array diameter (from 12.5 mm to
17.5 mm). The x-ray emission is consistent with two-dimensional radiation-hydrodynamics models. Increasing
the number of wires dramatically improves the azimuthal symmetry of the z-pinch implosion and permits the
detailed measurement of implosion features to be correlated with radiation-hydrodynamics simulations. This
summer a modification of the 50-TW PBFA-II accelerator will be made to enable z-pinch-driven implosions at
higher currents (20-MA). These modifications will eventually allow us to evaluate the performance of
centimeter-scale ICF targets that are indirectly driven by an energetic (1.5-MJ) x-ray source.
Other Reports on High Energy Density and Inertial Confinement Fusion
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