Correlation between Soft X-Ray Emission and Dynamics of Fast Capillary Discharges

A capillary discharge was driven by a fast pulse power generator `LIMAY-I' (3 Ω–70 ns) to investigate plasma dynamics. A two-stage pre-ionization circuit was developed to obtain uniformly preionized plasma load as the initial condition. Time-resolved radiations from the plasma column were observed by X-ray detectors and a fast streak camera. Experimental results indicated that the column can implode (rapidly contract) stably in an initial pressure range of 200–1000 Pa of argon. The reproducibility of the signal was quite good and the behavior of plasma column was well explained by one-dimensional magnetro-hydrodynamic (1D-MHD) simulation. These results suggest that the final plasma parameters satisfy the lasing condition for collisionally pumped Ne-like Ar with a sufficient margin of stability.