Non-thermal pumping of the H-like ions by Z-pinch discharge

The paper describes experimental studies of x-ray pulses generated by implosions of current-sheaths onto sufficiently thick carbon fibers with the focus on a possibility of pumping the inverse population of hydrogen like ions levels. The stabilizing role of carbon fibers on the pinched-phase plasma is suggested and documented by the pinhole and streak camera pictures, PIN diode signals, and detected non-equilibrium spectrum of the Lyman lines of hydrogen-like carbon ions