Study of possibility of soft X-ray radiation generation at the experiments with magnetocumulative generators

Summary form only given. An analysis of recent experimental data (PBFA-Z and Saturn facilities) shows that for plasma liners comprised of wire arrays, and implosion times ranging from 50-250 ns, the energy of generated X-ray radiation is proportional to the current squared E/spl sim/J/sup 2/, and the power proportional to W/spl sim/J//spl tau//sup 2/ (/spl tau/=implosion time). The implosion process can be described in the framework of semiempirical models for liner dynamics, where Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities are taken into account based on a thin shell model. X-ray radiation energy of E/spl sim/1.8 MJ and a power of W/spl sim/290 TW was reached at the PBFA-Z facility at a current of J/spl sim/22 MA and implosion time of /spl tau//spl sim/120 ns using a two-cascade (nested) liner system. At present, explosive current opening switches are at /spl tau//spl sim/400 ns, and MCG breaking current value is J/spl sim/35 MA. Semiempirical models describing explosive current opening switches, are created and calibrated to the data from /spl sim/40 explosive experiments. Based on present information, it is feasible that the DFCG-480-10 disk generator operating with an explosive opening switch could produce a /spl sim/60 MA current into a 20 nH load with a rise time /spl tau//spl sim/400 ns. With this type of configuration, an estimated soft X-ray radiation energy of >10 MJ and power of >500 TW could be obtained. A program aimed at the creation of a high-power x-ray radiation source with the above mentioned parameters is presented. The level of accessible energies and X-ray radiation power is estimated at each stage using semi-empirical models of explosive opening switches operation and a description of the liner system dynamics in the framework of a thin shell model.