X-Ray Backlighting of Developments of X-pinches and Wire-Array Z-pinches Using an X-pinch

A pulsed-power generator (PPG-I) with a current of 400 kA in amplitude and 100 ns in pulsewidth was constructed. The development ofX-pinches and the early stages of wire-arrayZ-pinches were investigated by X-ray backlighting using theX-pinch driven by PPG-I as X-ray source. The plasma explosion and implosion near the cross point of the X-shape wires can be clearly seen from a series of backlighting images taken at different times ofX-pinch discharge. To study the early behavior of the plasma in wire-arrayZ-pinches, anX-pinch installed in the place of a current-return rod was used as the X-ray source to backlight a wire-arrayZ-pinch installed in the center between the anode and the cathode. The plasma formation, the interwire plasma merging, and the instabilities were also clearly observed, which can provide a better understanding of the physics ofZ-pinches and the basic experimental data to validate simulation models.