Characterization of a 500J Dense Plasma Focus for Producing Soft x-rays

Summary form only given. The scaling of X-ray output with (stored energy) and ~10ns radiation pulse width of the dense plasma focus make it an interesting source of soft X-ray radiation for lithography, biological imaging, nano imaging or soft X-ray diagnostic calibration. AASC was funded by DTRA to explore soft X-ray diagnostic calibration . In this follow-on study, we explore an alternative electrode configuration with Ne, Ar, and Kr gases. The soft X-ray radiation (>1 keV) yield, radiation pulse width and debris are characterized for our 500J dense plasma focus over 100\´s of pulses at different repetition rates from 0.1-0.5 Hz. The radiation yield is compared with (stored energy)" scaling. The measured radiation pulse widths are compared with a DPF simulation code written by S. Lee. A soft X-ray spectrometer is being installed to examine the soft X-ray spectrum from all three gases.