Characterization of the rod-pinch diode at 2 to 4 Mv as a high-resolution source for flash radiography

The ASTERIX generator is used to evaluatate the rod-pinch electron-beam diode as an intense source of x-rays for high-resolution, pulsed (30- to 40-ns FWHM) radiography at peak diode voltages of voltages of 2.4 to 4.4 MV and peak diode currents of 55 to 135 kA. At 4 MV, tungsten anode rods of 1-mm or 2-mm diameter produce on-axis doses at 1 meter of 16 rad(Si) or 20 rad(Si), respectively. The on-axis source diameter based on the full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of the line-spread-function (LSF) is 0.9 ± 0.1 mm for a 1-mm diameter rod and 1.4 ± 0.1 mm for a 2-mm diam rod, independent of voltage. The LANL source diameter is nearly twice the FWHM. The measured rod-pinch current is reproduced with a diode model that includes ions and accounts for anode and cathode plasma expansion. A composite diode with a large diameter carbon-rod anode followed by a smaller-diameter tungsten-tip converter shows promise for applications where a small central source feature is desired.