Multichannel soft X-ray diagnostics of hot plasma evolution in nitrogen-puff Z-pinch

Soft X-ray emission from nitrogen plasma of a small gas-puff Z-pinch is studied. A multilayer-mirror polychromator with time-resolved registration by positive-intrinsic-negative (PIN) diodes is installed, and its relatively narrow spectral windows are aligned to the important parts of the nitrogen spectrum between 390 and 710 eV. The electron temperature evolution (T/sub e/ approximately=400 eV in hot spots) is determined from the slope of the recombination continuum of He-like nitrogen. The T/sub e/ of bulk plasma ( approximately=100 eV) is compared with T/sub e/ calculated from yields of K-shell lines. Pinhole cameras are used for better understanding the radiation phase of the pinch. Time sequences of peaks in X-ray signals corresponding to a number of bright spots on photographs are presented.