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The discharge plasma channel (DPC) evolution process is observed by taking time-series self-emission intensified charge-coupled device (iCCD) photos and simultaneous shadow images. By adding neutral density filters before iCCD, the subtle structure of the DPC self-emission is observed. It is interesting that a treelike structure is observed soon after the voltage breakdown. Long exposure time photos demonstrate that this structure existed for hundreds of nanoseconds. An inner homogeneously luminous column arises latterly, forming a two-layer self-emission structure. Then, this column gradually occupies the whole DPC. Shadow images show that the expanding DPC maintains good axial uniformity, manifesting the long-standing uneven treelike structure only has limited impact on the energy distribution and the expansion process. The calculated expansion rate reaches its maximum value (4.75 km/s) not at the power peak, but 0.24 $\mu \text{s}$ after that. Then, the expansion rate undergoes fast drop and slow decline. In addition, it seems that the distributions of related plasma parameters experience an evolution from nonuniform to uniform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolution of single- and dual-wire Z-pinch of 8- \(\mu \) m W was investigated by X-ray backlighting using an X-pinch X-ray source. The experiments were carried out on the pulsed-power generator PPG-I (400 kA/500 kV/100 ns), which was designed and constructed by the Department of Electrical Engineering of Tsinghua University. To scale the mass density distributions at different explosion time, a mass step wedge including eight tungsten layers was fabricated and inserted between the object Z-pinch and the X-ray film. By a large number of imaging experiments, the physical images of coronal plasma formation and interwire plasma merging were obtained. Based on the X-ray photos of 8- \(\mu \) m W and mass step wedge, the mass density distributions at different explosion time were drawn, and the conductance curve of time dependence of 8- \(\mu \) m W was also calculated using waveform of voltage and current. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

X-ray point source generated by X-pinches on the compact pulsed power device PPG-2 of Tsinghua University is well suited for phase-contrast imaging of weakly X-ray absorbing organism. Using six sets of photoconducting devices each covered by a filter of specific transmittance curve, the X-ray radiation energy spectra from Mo-wire and W-wire X-pinches were experimentally studied. It was found that X-ray with photon energy less than 2 keV takes the main part, about 70% of the total radiation, and the energy spectrum obeys exponential distribution; the bumps in the intervals of 2–3 keV for Mo and 4–6 keV for W may be attributed to the existence of line spectra such as L-shell of Mo and M-shell of W. Compared with the results of other groups, our measured X-ray energy yield were several times higher. The reasons may be attributed to differences in load current rising rate or different responses of X-ray detectors. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Wire explosion is the initial stage of the development of wire array Z-pinch load driven by high pulsed current. Based on the pulsed power generator PPG-1 (400 kA/100 ns), the process of 10- \(\mu \) m-W wire explosion at tens of kiloamperes was investigated. The time sequence images of wire explosion were obtained by X-ray backlighting with X-pinch X-ray point source, and the mass density distribution of the exploding wire at a certain time was calibrated by method of grayscale contrast based on a particular step wedge filter. By image processing of the time sequence images of wire explosion, the evolution of mass density distribution of wire explosion was presented. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]