ALBERT

Notes: Microchannel plate intensified (MPI) x-ray detectors are commonly used for imaging and spectral measurements in the 100–1500 eV photon energy range. Using a laser-produced plasma x-ray source, we measured the integrated detector response versus incident x-ray intensity and the relative efficiency versus photon energy of a MPI x-ray detector. Two identical 2000 lines/mm transmission grating spectrometers simultaneously record broadband plasma source emission from a tantalum target. The relative efficiency was determined by comparing the spectrum recorded with an absolutely calibrated x-ray CCD reference detector on one spectrometer to the spectrum recorded with a MPI x-ray detector on the other spectrometer. The integrated detector response versus incident x-ray intensity was measured by simultaneously illuminating the CCD reference detector and the MPI detector with step-wedge-filtered magnesium plasma emission. The aluminum step wedge x-ray filters pass the 1s–2p emission lines of H-like Mg at 1470 eV and the 1s2–1s2p emission lines of He-like Mg at 1350 eV, and provide a four order of magnitude range in incident intensity on the detectors.© 1999 American Institute of Physics.

Notes: The 100 ns, 20 MA pinch-driver Z is surrounded by an extensive set of diagnostics. There are nine radial lines of sight set at 12° above horizontal and each of these may be equipped with up to five diagnostic ports. Instruments routinely fielded viewing the pinch from the side with these ports include x-ray diode arrays, photoconducting detector arrays, bolometers, transmission grating spectrometers, time-resolved x-ray pinhole cameras, x-ray crystal spectrometers, calorimeters, silicon photodiodes, and neutron detectors. A diagnostic package fielded on axis for viewing internal pinch radiation consists of nine lines of sight. This package accommodates virtually the same diagnostics as the radial ports. Other diagnostics not fielded on the axial or radial ports include current B-dot monitors, filtered x-ray scintillators coupled by fiber optics to streak cameras, streaked visible spectroscopy, velocity interferometric system for any reflector, bremsstrahlung cameras, and active shock breakout measurement of hohlraum temperature. The data acquisition system is capable of recording up to 500 channels and the data from each shot is available on the Internet. A major new diagnostic presently under construction is the BEAMLET backlighter. We will briefly describe each of these diagnostics and present some of the highest-quality data from them. © 2001 American Institute of Physics.

Notes: Three x-ray spectrometers, each with a transmission grating dispersion element, are routinely used at the Z soft x-ray facility to measure the spectrum and temporal history of the absolute soft x-ray power emitted from z-pinch and hohlraum radiation sources. Our goal is to make these measurements within an accuracy of ±10%. We periodically characterize the efficiency of the gratings used in the spectrometers by using an electron-impact soft x-ray source, a monochromator, grazing-incidence mirrors, thin filters, and an x-ray charge-coupled device (CCD) detector. We measure the transmission efficiency of the gratings at many photon energies for several grating orders. For each grating, we calculate efficiency as a function of photon energy using published optical constants of gold and multiple-slit Fraunhofer diffraction theory and fit the calculation to the measurements using the physical parameters of the grating as variables. This article describes the measurement apparatus and calibration techniques, discusses the grating efficiency calculation and fitting procedure, and presents recent results.

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: Measurements of the hohlraum wall temperature in Z-pinch driven hohlraum experiments require looking through small (2–4 mm diameter) diagnostic holes that undergo some degree of hole closure. The existing soft x-ray diagnostics on Z measure the total flux exiting this diagnostic hole and are therefore affected by this hole closure. To avoid having to measure the effective diagnostic hole area we have designed and constructed an imaging diode array (IDA) that incorporates pinhole imaging and an array of filtered silicon diodes to measure the absolute x-ray intensity from a spatially resolved region of a target. The instrument uses silicon diodes with subnanosecond time response that are sensitive to soft x rays in the range 100–3000 eV. An image of the target area is projected onto the silicon diodes using pinholes. Between each pinhole and it's respective diode is a soft x-ray filter. The material and thickness of the filter are selected to allow unfolding of spectral information in the 100–3000 eV spectral region. We plan to insert a set of grazing-incidence mirrors between each of the filter/diode pairs in a future version of this instrument to better define the spectral bandpass of each diode channel. Radiation from the target region is monitored by a gated microchannel-plate-intensified image recording device that is located immediately behind the diode array. A small shadow in the recorded image corresponds to the specific area of the target that is imaged onto each silicon diode. We are presently fielding this instrument in experiments on the Z facility located at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, NM. The instrument is located on the same line-of-sight and measures the same spatial region as a filtered fast-framing x-ray pinhole camera and a transmission grating spectrometer. This article describes the design of the IDA diagnostic and presents the results of measurements obtained in hohlraum experiments conducted on Z. © 2001 American Institute of Physics.

Notes: An instrument is described which can obtain x-ray spectral power measurements utilizing the diffraction pattern produced when x rays pass through a slit. Traditionally, these types of measurements yielding low to moderate spectral resolution have been made with filtered x-ray diodes or with a transmission grating. The instrument described below has several advantages over filtered x-ray diodes in determining the spectral power profile such as an insensitivity to surface contamination. In addition, this instrument does not require the use of filters which can be destroyed during a shot making absolute measurements difficult and very time consuming. The advantages over a transmission grating system include cost, mechanical robustness, and fewer components which require spectral calibration. © 1999 American Institute of Physics.

Notes: A technique is described to determine the spatial x-ray flux emitted from a hohlraum wall and subsequently transmitted through a diagnostic hole. This technique uses x-ray diodes, bolometers, and a time-resolved pinhole camera to determine the spatial flux of x rays emitted through a hohlraum's diagnostic hole. The primary motivation for this analysis was the relatively long duration, nearly 100 ns, of the x-ray drive present in z-pinch driven hohlraums. This radiation causes plasma to ablate from the hohlraum walls surrounding the diagnostic hole and results in a partial obscuration that reduces the effective area over which diagnostics view the radiation. The effective change in area leads to an underestimation of the wall temperature when nonimaging diagnostics such as x-ray diodes and bolometers are used to determine power and later to infer a wall temperature. An analysis similar to the one described below is then necessary to understand the radiation environment present in x-ray driven hohlraums when these diagnostics are used and hole closure is important. © 1999 American Institute of Physics.

Notes: A combination of a 400 ns, 300 mJ, 640 nm dye laser, and an optical streak camera have been used to demonstrate that time-resolved shadowgrams can be made of the implosion phase of tungsten wire arrays. Initial experiments have shown that mirror lifetime and spatial resolution are issues for this diagnostic technique. Nonetheless, these experiments have provided new information on wire array dynamics; specifically, they show that even with a 0.46 mm wire spacing, the high density regions formed by the wires, are separate until 30 ns into the main drive current. Peak currents of 6.6 MA were obtained 40 ns after the start of the current, while peak radiated powers of 85 TW were measured at 50 ns. © 1997 American Institute of Physics.

Notes: A tentative schedule of experiments for the ignition campaign on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) has been developed. These experiments will be used to validate beam pointing and balance, to tune time history and symmetry of drive of NIF hohlraums, and to implode subignition and igniting targets. The initial target diagnostics are designed to validate beam pointing and to demonstrate the properties of the hohlraums. © 1995 American Institute of Physics.

Notes: A simple method of achieving dual scan ranges with a single piezo element in scanning probe microscope instruments is described. Both high-resolution small-scan ranges and low-resolution large-scan areas are obtainable.