Measurement of the deuterium liner characteristics in the inverse Z-pinch configuration

This work is a part of a continuing research on measuring dd- reaction cross sections in keV energy range using accelerated ion flow in the liner of the Z-pinch generator. The knowledge of the ions energy distribution in the accelerated liner is crucially important for calculation of cross section. Diagnostics and the first results on the measurement of the energy distribution of the liner ions in the inverse Z-pinch geometry are described. Experiments were fulfilled in HCEI (Tomsk, Russia) at the nanosecond pulsed generator of 1 MA, 80 ns pulse. The spatially and time resolved liner dynamics and its radiation were measured with a set of light detectors (LDs), placed at various radii registering H/sub /spl alpha// and H/sub /spl beta// deuterium lines, and with B-dot probes, measuring the dynamics of the current carrying plasma liner. Processing of the LDs signal waveforms based on assumption of ordered ion flow between the LDs provided compatible information on the ion energy distribution. The neutron TOF measurements provided data on the high energy deuterons flows, responsible for the main neutron output. These experiments substantiate potential of using optical plasma diagnostic, which in combination with conventional electro-physical and neutron diagnostics could significantly improve reliability of dd-reaction cross-section measurement.