X-ray emission from a table-top X-pinch device

Based on a compact (2m×1m×1.5m) pulsed current generator (~ 100 kA, 60ns), a table-top X-pinch device was constructed and tested. The load current was almost unchanged for X-pinches made using different wires (5μm, 8μm, 10μm and 13μm Wu wire> 13μm and 25μm Mo wire), which means that the impedance of the wires is much lower than the total impedance of the load section. When the above mentioned wires were used as two-wire load, X-ray pulses from X-pinch were always observed. As the mass of the two-wire load increases, the time delay of the x-ray emission relative to the beginning of the load current increases. As was expected, the X-ray pulse consists of single peak or two overlapping peaks of subnanosecond pulsewidth. The x-ray source is usually one point or two partly overlapping points, which is consistent with the measurement of x-ray pulse. The size of x-ray point source is ranging from 5 Dm to 50 Dm. Two X-ray pulses with a time interval on the order of 10 ns were often observed for a small mass load when the load current is high enough. The appearance of the second X-ray pulse is attributed to the second pinch of the plasma.