X-pinch plasma dynamics observed with a sub-200ps laser

Summary form only given. The X pinch has proven itself to be both an extraordinary X-ray back lighting source and an interesting high energy density plasma for plasma dynamics and X-ray spectroscopy studies. However, some of the most interesting physics of an X pinch happens on a few ns, or even subnanosecond, time scale. The X pinch has been estimated to approach solid density on a size scale of 1 micron and achieve temperatures greater than 1 keV for a period of about 0.1 ns during which there is an intense X-ray burst. The final stages of implosion leading to the formation of the X-ray burst last only a few nanoseconds. Therefore, images of the X pinch taken with an apparatus that integrates over a few ns are not sufficient to resolve the dynamics of the X pinch during the last critical stages of implosion. Here, we report experiments using a sub-200 ps laser pulse to record several frames of each X pinch pulse with both shadow and interference images. We expect to show images that are of interest both as observations of X pinch dynamics for materials such as Al, Mo, and W and for comparison with code calculations used to model the X pinch