ALBERT

Notes: The radiation field in a hohlraum (4 mm diameter×4 mm length) with a ∼10 TW x-ray input has been simultaneously measured by two independent techniques. An active shock breakout measurement of radiation-driven shock velocity in aluminum indicates a peak radiation field with incident flux equivalent to a Planckian distribution with a temperature of 147±3 eV. In the same experiment, a time- and spatially resolved measurement of x-ray re-emission from the gold hohlraum wall indicates re-emission flux equivalent to a Planckian brightness temperature of 145±5 eV. © 2001 American Institute of Physics.

Notes: X-ray powers on the order of 10 TW over an area of 4.5 mm2 are produced in the axial direction from the compression of a low-density foam target centered within a z-pinch on the Z generator.1 The x rays from this source are used for high-energy–density physics experiments, including the heating of hohlraums for inertial confinements fusion studies.2 In this article, detailed characteristics of this radiation source measured using an upgraded axial-radiation-diagnostic suite3 together with other on- and off-axis diagnostics are summarized and discussed in terms of Eulerian and Lagrangian radiation–magnetohydrodynamic code simulations. The source, characterized here, employs a nested array of 10-mm-long tungsten wires, at radii of 20 and 10 mm, having a total masses of 2 and 1 mg, and wire numbers of 240 and 120, respectively. The target is a 14 mg/cc CH2 foam cylinder of 5 mm diameter. The codes take into account the development of the Rayleigh–Taylor instability in the r–z plane, and provide integrated calculations of the implosion together with the x-ray generation. The radiation exiting the imploding target through the 4.5 mm2 aperture is measured primarily by the axial diagnostic suite that now includes diagnostics at an angle of ∼30° to the z axis. The near on-axis diagnostics include: (1) a seven-element filtered silicon-diode array,4 (2) a five-element filtered x-ray diffraction (XRD) array,5 (3) a six-element filtered PCD array,6 (4) a three-element bolometer,7 (5) time-resolved and time-integrating crystal spectrometers, and (6) two fast-framing x-ray pinhole cameras having 11 frames each. The filtered silicon diodes, XRDs, and PCDs are sensitive to 1–200, 140–2300, and 1000–4000 eV x rays, respectively. They (1) establish the magnitude of the prepluse generated during the run in of the imploding wire arrays, (2) measure the Planckian nature of the dominant thermal, and (3) nonthermal component of the emission. The bolometers and XRDs mounted on the near-normal and 30° LOS (line-of-sight) measure the total power and check the Lambertian nature of the emission. Additionally, a suite of filtered fast-framing x-ray pinhole cameras and silicon-diode arrays behind a transmission grating, mounted on LOSs nearly normal to the z axis, quantify the plasma plume exiting the aperture. The hard bremsstrahlung generated is estimated with both on- and off-axis shielded scintillator photomultiplier diagnostics. © 2001 American Institute of Physics.

Notes: Ion emission has been obtained from a LiF-coated tungsten field-emitter tip. Ion formation is thought to be caused by the high electric field experienced by the LiF. At the time of emission the electric field at the surface of the LiF is calculated to be on the order of 100 MV/cm. Inside the LiF the field is on the order of 10 MV/cm. These fields exceed the value needed to produce bulk dielectric breakdown in LiF. The surface field is of sufficient magnitude to produce ion emission by field evaporation from the crystal surface. Even prior to dielectric breakdown, precursor processes can lead to ion formation. Electric-field-stress fragmentation of the LiF layer is thought to occur, followed by ionization of the fragments.

Notes: The shape of the energy distribution of scattered particles in an active-beam scattering experiment can be influenced considerably by the presence of highly charged impurity ions in the plasma. In this work it is shown theoretically that multiply charged impurities have only a small effect on the scattering distribution at low energies (〈10 keV/amu) and at high energies (〉75 keV/amu). The effect of the impurities is the most pronounced for energies close to 50 keV/amu. The results of the calculations are in good agreement with experimental results at various energies. Extrapolation to higher beam energies leads to the conclusion that the active-beam scattering diagnostics can be applied also in future fusion devices for measuring the local ion temperature.

Notes: During the past year we have conducted a series of PBFA II target experiments. The design of the experiments was threefold: to characterize the response of targets to ion beams, develop our experimental diagnostic capability, and benchmark our theoretical ability to design and predict the response of the experimental diagnostics to ion-beam-heated, ICF targets. We present here an analysis of spherical exploding pusher experiments. The targets were 6-mm-diam, 100-μm-thick, Cl-doped CH spheres, filled with 1.2 atm of deuterium doped with 7 Torr of H2S. The diagnostics included XRDs, x-ray pinhole, framing, and streak cameras, and a spatially resolved, x-ray crystal spectrometer. Our analysis includes comparisons between experimental results and theoretical predictions of diagnostics responses and sulfur line emission from the compressed target using one- and two-dimensional radiation/hydrodynamic code runs. This work supported by the U. S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC04-76-DP00789.

Notes: A Z-pinch radiation source has been developed that generates 60±20 kJ of x rays with a peak power of 13±4 TW through a 4-mm-diam axial aperture on the Z facility. The source has heated National Ignition Facility-scale (6-mm-diam by 7-mm-high) hohlraums to 122±6 eV and reduced-scale (4-mm-diam by 4-mm-high) hohlraums to 155±8 eV—providing environments suitable for indirect-drive inertial confinement fusion studies. Eulerian-RMHC (radiation-magnetohydrodynamics code) simulations that take into account the development of the Rayleigh–Taylor instability in the r–z plane provide integrated calculations of the implosion, x-ray generation, and hohlraum heating, as well as estimates of wall motion and plasma fill within the hohlraums. Lagrangian-RMHC simulations suggest that the addition of a 6 mg/cm3 CH2 fill in the reduced-scale hohlraum decreases hohlraum inner-wall velocity by ∼40% with only a 3%–5% decrease in peak temperature, in agreement with measurements. © 2000 American Institute of Physics.

Notes: The Saturn pulsed power accelerator [R. B. Spielman et al., in Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Dense Z-pinches, Laguna Beach, CA, 1989, edited by N. R. Pereira, J. Davis, and N. Rostoker (American Institute of Physics, New York, 1989), p. 3] at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) and the Nova laser [J. T. Hunt and D. R. Speck, Opt. Eng. 28, 461 (1989)] at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have been used to explore techniques for studying the behavior of ablator material in x-ray radiation environments comparable in magnitude, spectrum, and duration to those that would be experienced in National Ignition Facility (NIF) hohlraums [J. D. Lindl, Phys. Plasmas 2, 3933 (1995)]. The large x-ray outputs available from the Saturn pulsed-power-driven z pinch have enabled us to drive hohlraums of full NIF ignition scale size at radiation temperatures and time scales comparable to those required for the low-power foot pulse of an ignition capsule. The high-intensity drives available in the Nova laser have allowed us to study capsule ablator physics in smaller-scale hohlraums at radiation temperatures and time scales relevant to the peak power pulse for an ignition capsule. Taken together, these experiments have pointed the way to possible techniques for testing radiation-hydrodynamics code predictions of radiation flow, opacity, equation of state, and ablator shock velocity over the range of radiation environments that will be encountered in a NIF hohlraum. © 1997 American Institute of Physics.

Notes: The energy spectra of energetic confined alpha particles are being measured using the pellet charge exchange method [R. K. Fisher, J. S. Leffler, A. M. Howald, and P. B. Parks, Fusion Technol. 13, 536 (1988)]. The technique uses the dense ablation cloud surrounding an injected impurity pellet to neutralize a fraction of the incident alpha particles, allowing them to escape from the plasma where their energy spectrum can be measured using a neutral particle analyzer. The signal calculations given in the above-mentioned reference disregarded the effects of the alpha particles' helical Larmor orbits, which causes the alphas to make multiple passes through the cloud. Other effects such as electron ionization by plasma and ablation cloud electrons and the effect of the charge state composition of the cloud, were also neglected. This report considers these issues, reformulates the signal level calculation, and uses a Monte-Carlo approach to calculate the neutralization fractions. The possible effects of energy loss and pitch angle scattering of the alphas are also considered. © 1997 American Institute of Physics.

Notes: Lithium ion and proton source experiments have been performed using an extraction geometry applied-B ion diode on the 0.02-TW PI-110A accelerator. These sources are being developed for use in inertial confinement fusion (ICF). The proton source relies on surface flashover to form an anode plasma from which the protons are drawn. The lithium sources seem to depend upon the local electric field for operation. The applied electric field was enhanced in the experiment by the geometry of the anode surface. For the proton source, ion generation was reduced when the applied magnetic field was increased. By contrast, lithium ion generation continued to increase as the applied magnetic field was increased. The effect of anode temperature was investigated for two lithium sources and was found not to be a factor in ion generation. Measurements of the turn-on characteristics of the various ion sources show shorter turn-on delays with higher diode voltage.