Measurement of the Ionization State and Electron Temperature of Plasma during the Ablation Stage of a Wire-Array Z Pinch Using Absorption Spectroscopy

Abstract

Wire-array plasmas were investigated in the nonradiative ablation stage via x-ray absorption spectroscopy. A laser-produced Sm plasma was used to backlight Al wire arrays. The Sm spectrum was simultaneously observed by two spectrometers: one recorded the unattenuated spectrum and the other the transmission spectrum with 1.45-1.55 keV K-shell absorption lines. Analysis of absorption spectra revealed electron temperature in the range of 10-30 eV and the presence of F-, O-, N- and C-like Al ions in the absorbing plasma. A comparison of this electron temperature with the postprocessed absorption spectra of a 2D MHD simulation yields results in general agreement with the data analysis.