The Imaging of Z-Pinches Using X-Pinch Backlighting

Imaging using X-pinch backlighters has been implemented on the COBRA accelerator at Cornell University to study the early stages of wire-array Z-pinches. Two of four return-current posts in the wire-array load region are replaced by X pinches so that two images of one wire in an eight-wire z-pinch are obtained from different angles and at different times. High resolution images have been obtained that show the evolution of wire structure and instabilities. X-pinch wire diameter and other parameters were varied in order to shift the timing of the X pinches relative to the start of the z-pinch current pulse. It was found that XPBL wire diameter (mass per unit length) has the strongest influence on radiation timing.