X-ray line emission and plasma conditions in exploded Fe wires

Abstract

Single-wire Fe spectra collected from two different exploded-wire generators (Gamble II and Owl II) were analyzed to determined the ionization stages produced in the plasmas. The temperature for the hot-plasma pinches for both generators was 1.4±0.2 keV at which an abundance of Fe XXIV transitions is produced. The Fe K spectra from exploded wires are basically similar to those produced in the pinched plasma generated randomly in the vacuum spark; however, the exploded wires have lower plasma temperatures than the hottest pinches produced in the vacuum spark. A detailed interpretation of the Fe L spectra formed in the exploded wires permitted line and ionization stage identifications in the 7–12-Å region. Such spectroscopic data is useful for analysis of complex Fe spectra generated in multitemperature plasma devices like Tokamaks.