Generation of hard X-ray emission by the electron beam in plasma focus facilities

The results of measurements of the temporal characteristics of hard X-ray emission generated at plasma focus (PF) facilities are presented. Mechanisms of electron beam generation in the PF pinch are analyzed. On the basis of the known mechanisms and experimental data on the measured temporal characteristics of hard X-ray pulses, a mechanism of fast electron generation that takes into account both the effect of the anomalous pinch resistance and the current redistribution in the near-pinch region is proposed. The processes occurring in the pinch plasma are simulated on the basis of the proposed mechanism by using the MicroCap code. It is shown that only a small fraction of the discharge current (1–10%) can be transformed into the electron beam current.