Multi-megavolt, multi-axis, high-resolution flash X-ray source development for a new hydrodynamics research facility at AWE Aldermaston

Summary form only given, as follows. The Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston, U.K., has a number of pulsed-power-driven flash X-ray machines for diagnosing the hydrodynamics of explosively driven high-Z materials. The most powerful of these machines is Mogul-E which operates at about 10 MV and 30 kA, delivering about 450 R @ 1 in in a 5 mm spot. Longer-term plans envisage the upgrading of our existing facilities through the construction of a multi-axis. Hydrodynamic Research Facility (HRF). It is proposed that the HRF will be furnished initially with three inductive voltage adder (IVA) machines operating at 14 MV, each giving 600 R @ I in in a 5 mm spot. It is envisaged that, following further research, the outputs will be increased towards 1000 R, with, it is hoped, a reduction in X-ray spot size. More speculative proposals involve increasing the number of machines from 3 to 5, and/or the splitting of the output end of one or more machines to drive more than one X-ray source per machine. An overview of the research programme necessary to achieve these aims will be presented. Reference will be made to other, more detailed, presentations at this conference. Topics covered will include: experiments to investigate the performance at /spl sim/5 MV on the paraxial diode (on E-Minor and Superswarf) and the magnetically-immersed diode on superswarf split magnetically-insulated transmission lines (MITLs) where one machine drove two X-ray sources. The design and testing of a prototype IVA module (PIM) operating at /spl sim/1.5 MV. The design of an upgrade from 5 MV to 10 MV of one of our existing single pulse-forming-line machines (E-Minor). Rod pinch diodes at /spl sim/1 MeV on Mevex. Initial, very speculative, experiments (at the Rutherford-Appleton Laboratory) employing picosecond laser pulses rather than conventional pulsed-power to generate MeV X-ray photons.