Soft x-ray measurements of z-pinch-driven vacuum hohlraums

This letter reports the experimental characterization of a z-pinch-driven v acuum hohlraum. We have measured soft x-ray fluxes of 5x10(12) W/cm(2) radi ating from the walls of hohlraums which are 2.4-2.5 cm in diameter by 1 cm tall. The x-ray source used to drive these hohlraums was a z pinch consisti ng of a 300 wire tungsten array driven by a 20 MA, 100 ns current pulse. In this hohlraum geometry, the z-pinch x-ray source can produce energies in e xcess of 800 kJ and powers in excess of 100 TW to drive these hohlraums. Th e x rays released in these hohlraums represent greater than a factor of 25 in energy and more than a factor of 3 in x-ray power over previous laborato ry-driven hohlraums. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(99 )02732-1].