Energetic electron beam generation and anisotropy of hard x-ray emission from 0.9 to 1.0 MA high-Z X pinches

Abstract

An analysis of the energy, spatial character, and temporal evolution of electron beams and hard x rays from 0.9 to 1.0 MA high-Z X pinches is presented. Experimental results from Ti, Fe, Mo, and W X pinches show that X pinches are an effective source of hard x rays with energies greater than 30 keV. Electron beams with energies up to 2 MeV higher than the applied anode-cathode voltage are generated along the pinch axis before the maximum current is reached. The beams have diameters of about 3 mm and generate bursts of hard x rays with sizes between 1 and 2 mm and total time durations of up to 150 ns. The measured 100–500 keV x-ray distribution is spectrally anisotropic. Hard x-ray synchrotron radiation in the side-on direction is proposed as a possible explanation of this anisotropy.