| A thorough investigation of a pulsed plasma x-ray source is presented with the intent of improving its design and maximizing its x-ray emission efficiency. In this approach a hollow gas column is puffed in the z-pinch diode by magnetically ionizing and compressing an inert gas in an annular plenum. This gas column is preionized by the radiation coming out from the plasma in the plenum and pinched by a fast electrical discharge.;The implosion dynamics is studied with different gases under varying conditions. The average implosion velocity, the final pinch diameter, the current waveform, and the emitted x-ray energy are measured. The pinched plasma parameters such as temperature, density, and the average ionic state are estimated using the corona model calculations, and the pinched current waveforms. The spectrum of the neon radiation clearly shows the characteristic H-like and He-like lines. The neon spectrum is used to estimate the plasma temperature.;The dynamic performance of the magnetically induced compression gas puff is studied carefully. A special ion probe was developed for studying the dynamic parameters of the gas puff. The ion measurements with the probe have led to the characterization of the gas puff performance under varying operating conditions. It is shown that ions are generated through photoionization of the injected gas by the UV light emitted from the inside of the gas puff plenum through the nozzle. It is found that the jet velocity and ion density can be in excess of ;A theoretical model is developed to simulate the plasma evolution in the gas puff. This model uses the magneto hydrodynamic (MHD) equations solved by the finite difference method. The magnetic field in the vacuum is calculated using the Laplace equation and self consistent boundary conditions. The model predicts the evolution of plasma variables such as density, temperature, velocity, and magnetic field. It also calculates the variation of the total mass flow rate, optical output, and the ionic signal. The simulation results are shown to compare favourably with the experimental measurements.;It is shown that the system can be improved considerably by modifying the gas puff design. Three gas puffs developed in this work are optimized for x-ray emission from argon, krypton, and neon gases. In the optimized conditions the output x-ray energies of 0.5 J from Ar-K shell, 2 J from Kr-L shell, and more than 2 J from Ne-K shell are obtained. |
