Spectroscopic analysis of 1MA x-pinch implosions at the Nevada Terawatt Facility

An overview of the detailed spectroscopic analysis of more than fifty z-pinch shots at the Nevada Terawatt Facility is presented. Experimental x-ray spectra generated by Ti, Fe, Mo, W, and Pt z-pinches have been collected in wire implosions driven by a 0.7–1 MA current. Different configurations and masses of z-pinch loads are studied. In x-pinch experiments, pinhole images and damage to the anodes after shots evidence the presence of electron beams. Non-LTE collisional-radiative atomic kinetics models that include hot electrons have been developed and applied to interpret experimental x-ray spectra. In particular, diagnostics for K-shell spectra of Ti ions and L-shell spectra of Mo ions are presented.