Time Resolved Spot Size Measurements of the Cygnus Rod Pinch Flash Radiographic X-ray Source

Summary form only given. The Cygnus accelerators, based on a pulsed power Inductive Voltage Adder (IVA) architecture, coupled to a rod pinch source have been used successfully to conduct explosive driven hydrodynamic experiments for DOE laboratories. The rod pinch X-ray source produces a small spot size and is well suited for low energy experiments. Beam plasma interactions, which take place in the ns scale, as well as the material response of the target to the impinging beam dictate the dynamic behavior of the diode. A scintillation based Time Resolved Spot Size Diagnostic (TRSD) has been fielded on various rod pinch configurations, different diameter rods as well as tapered and un-tapered rods were used, on the Cygnus I accelerator. Time integrated spot sizes of 1 to 1.5mm, consistent with rod diameter and previous results were observed. Results of the temporal behavior of the spot size, time integrated spot, beam movement and dose rate are presented here.