KeV ion beam generation from Z-pinches produced in plasma focus like geometry

Dense Z-pinches produce strong soft X-ray and VUV emission with ns exposure when working with moderate current at the moment of maximum compression. W ithin these Z-pinches the Plasma focus geometry offers an efficient product ion of hot and dense plasmas (kT(e) more than 100 eV respectively N-ion gre ater than 10(18) cm(-3)) in which also fast thermal ions are created. In or der to design such a plasma focus of 1 m(3) laboratory size, which is equiv alent to deliver a pinch current of around 200 kA, and a microplasma focus, which gives 20 kA using a cm(3) scaled device, are investigated. Different direct and indirect diagnostic methods are presented in order to work out the required conditions for efficient ion beam production.