Measurement of the photon field, E>150 eV on Sandia’s Z Facility

The Z Facility at Sandia National Laboratories utilizes z-pinch implosions to produce up to 2 MJ of x rays. On Z, bremsstrahlung radiation is produced in various parts of the machine as a product of both power flow electrons and those accelerated in the pinch region. An understanding of the energy spectra and intensity of this radiation is important to both the explanation of the z-pinch physics and the design of new diagnostics. A technique has been developed using a differential absorption spectrometer to measure the photon field for energies greater that 150 eV for bremsstrahlung from the z-pinch or the vacuum transmission lines. This article describes the techniques and results used to date.