Temporal parameters of the X-pinch x-ray source

The X pinch has proved to be an excellent source of 2.5-10 keV radiation fo r point-projection radiography with spatial resolution of 2 mum or even bet ter. The pulse duration of the x-ray bursts has been investigated for a wid e variety of wire materials in the 1.5-10 keV energy range using a set of f ast diamond photoconducting detectors with different filters, and using an x-ray streak camera to observe the source through four different filters on each pulse. All wires tested have intense continuum up to at least 6 keV, and the duration of the pulse is shorter for the harder radiation component for all materials. However, there are substantial differences between mate rials. For example, the pulse duration for Al with filtering for energy gre ater than or equal to1.5 and greater than or equal to5 keV are about 1 and 0.5 ns, respectively. By contrast, for Mo with filtering for energy greater than or equal to2.5 and greater than or equal to5 keV, the pulse durations are about 200 ps and less than or equal to 80 ps, respectively. (C) 2001 A merican Institute of Physics.