Correlation of soft x-ray spots with hard radiation and neutron emission in a 1-kJ plasma focus

One to four x-ray spots are always present in hydrogen and deuterium along the z axis during the dense pinch phase; ∼4% argon is required for pinhole photography. Spots have an observed 5–10-ns lifetime and develop in succession within the first 30 ns of the x-ray emission. The hard >80-keV radiation shows the spot time structure and controls the neutron pulse. The x-ray spots represent m = 0 plasma instabilities.