X-ray observations of tungsten wire array Z-pinch implosions on QiangGuang-1 facility

Z-pinch experiments with two arrays consisting, respectively, of 32 4-μm- and 6-μm-diameter tungsten wires have been carried out on QiangGuang-1 facility with a current rising up to 1.5 MA in 80 ns. At early time of implosion, x-ray framing images show that the initial emission comes from the central part of arrays, and double clear emission rings, drifting to the anode and the cathode at 5×10^6 cm/s and 2.4×10^7 cm/s respectively, are often produced near the electrodes. Later, in a 4-μm-diameter tungsten wire array, filamentation caused by ohmic heating is prominent, and more than ten filaments have been observed. A radial inward shift of arrays starts at about 30 ns earlier than the occurrence of the x-ray peak power for both kinds of arrays, and the shrinkage rate of emission region is as high as 1.7×107 cm/s in a 4-μm-diameter tungsten wire array, which is two times higher than that in a 6-μm one. Emission from precursor plasmas is observed in implosion of 6-μm-diameter tungsten wire arrays, but not in implosion of a 4- μm-diameter tungsten wire array. Whereas, in a 4-μm-diameter tungsten wire array, the soft x-ray emission shows the growth of m=l instability in the plasma column, which is caused by current. The reasons for the discrepancy between implosions of 4-μm- and 6-μm-diameter tungsten wire arrays are explained.

Experimental study on of wire-array Z pinches imploding characteristics on Qiangguang-1 facility

To investigate the imploding characteristics of cylindrical wire array, experiments with load current varying from 1.5MA to 1.7MA were carried out on the Qiangguang-1 facility. The complicated temporal-spatial distribution of x-ray radiation was measured by the one-dimensional （1D） x-ray imaging system. Other diagnostic equipments including the x-ray power meter （XRPM） and the time-integrated pinhole camera were used to record time-resolved x-ray power pulse and pinhole x-ray images. Analysis shows that the fast leading edge of the local x-ray radiation pulse is of primary importance in sharpening x-ray power pulse rather than the temporal synchrony and the spatial uniformity of implosion. Experimental results indicated that the better axial imploding synchrony, the faster the increase of x-ray power for an array consisting of 32 tungsten wires of 5 μm diameter than for the others, and the higher the x-ray radiation power with maximal convergence ratio （r0/r1） of 10.5. A ‘zipper-like＇ effect of x-ray radiation extending from the anode to the cathode was also observed.

Spatially-resolved spectroscopic diagnosing of aluminum wire array Z-pinch plasmas on QiangGuang-I facility

Spatially-resolved crystal spectrometers with a high spectral resolution are developed to diagnose K-shell x-ray radiation from Z-pinch plasmas. These diagnostic apparatuses are successfully applied to aluminum wire array Z-pinch experiments on QiangGuang-I facility, a driver with a pulsed current up to about 1.5 MA in 80 ns. Time-integrated experimental results show that the K-shell x-ray emission lines of aluminum Z-pinch plasmas are dominated by line emissions from helium-like ionisation state. Bright spots that might have higher electron temperature or density are produced randomly in location and size along the z-axis during implosions. According to the experimental data, the electron temperature and the ion density are estimated to be between 250 eV and 310 eV, and between 7.0× 10^19 cm-3 and 4.0 ×10^19 cm-3 respectively, while the ion temperature is inferred to be about 10.2 keV, which is much higher than the electron temperature.

Radiation characteristics and implosion dynamics of tungsten wire array Z-pinches on the YANG accelerator

We investigated the radiation characteristics and implosion dynamics of low-wire-number cylindrical tungsten wire array Z-pinches on the YANG accelerator with a peak current 0.8-1.1 MA and a rising time ～ 90 ns.The arrays are made up of（8-32）×5 μm wires 6/10 mm in diameter and 15 mm in height.The highest X-ray power obtained in the experiments was about 0.37 TW with the total radiation energy ～ 13 kJ and the energy conversion efficiency ～ 9%（24×5 μm wires,6 mm in diameter）.Most of the X-ray emissions from tungsten Z-pinch plasmas were distributed in the spectral band of 100-600 eV,peaked at 250 and 375 eV.The dominant wavelengths of the wire ablation and the magneto-Rayleigh-Taylor instability were found and analyzed through measuring the time-gated self-emission and laser interferometric images.Through analyzing the implosion trajectories obtained by an optical streak camera,the run-in velocities of the Z-pinch plasmas at the end of the implosion phase were determined to be about（1.3-2.1）×10 7 cm/s.

Investigation of the Resistance and Inductance of Planar Wire Array Z-Pinch at the Qiangguang Accelerator

The resistance and inductance of a wire array during an implosion are very important parameters of interest to：researchers. A variety of inductances and resistances directly affect the kinetic energy and resistance heat energy coupled from a pulsed-power generator. In this paper, the inductance and resistance of a planar wire array during the Z-pinch process are analyzed. The inductance is calculated from the data obtained by a time-resolved soft X-ray framed camera, while the resistance is calculated through the voltage and the current of the wire array load combined with the variety of the inductance. The results show that the resistance of the load increases with the development of the implosion, and reaches its maximum at 0.29 ± 0.16Ω near the pinched time.

Discharge and post-explosion behaviors of electrical explosion of conductors from a single wire to planar wire array

This work deals with an experimental study of a Cu planar wire array(PWA)in air and water under the stored energy 300-1200 J.A single Cu wire is adopted as a controlled trial.Four configurations of PWA and a wire with the same mass(cross-section area)but the different specific surface areas(15-223 cm^(2)g^(-1))are exploded.The transient process is analyzed using high-speed photography in combination with the results of optical emission and discharge.Discharge characteristics revealed that PWA always has a higher electric power peak,early but higher voltage peak,as well as faster vaporization and ionization process than the single-wire case.Two to three times stronger optical emission could be obtained when replacing the single-wire with PWA,indicating a higher energy-density state is reached.Phenomenologically,in both air and water,single-wire load tends to develop a transverse stratified structure,while PWA is dominated by the uneven energy deposition among wires.Finally,the synchronism and uniformity of the PWA explosion are discussed.

Two dynamics modes in planar wire array Z pinch implosion

Two dynamics modes, named short ablation mode and long ablation mode, are observed in implosion experiments of planar wire array Z pinch on ＇QiangGuang-I＇ facility utilizing an optical streak camera. The long ablation mode has a lagged trajectory compared with the short ablation mode. For shot 10035 in a short ablation mode, the initial time of K-shell radiation is consistent with the interaction time for ablation plasma arriving at the centre of wire array, while for shot 10038 in long ablation mode, the initial time of K-shell radiation is about 10 ns earlier. In the two modes, the partial ablation plasma could traverse the wire array plane and then collide in the centre to form a dense plasma column with a diameter of 2.2 mm for shot 10035 and 1.5 mm for shot 10038.

Primarily Experimental Results for a W Wire Array Z Pinch

Primarily experimental results are given for a W wire array Z pinch imploded with up to 2 MA in 100 ns on a Qiangguang-I pulsed power generator. The configuration and parameters of the generator, the W wire array load assembly and the diagnostic system for the experiment are described. The total X-ray energy has been obtained with a averaged power of X-ray radiation of 1.28 TW.

Load optimal design for a primary test stand facility based on a zero-dimensional load model

In order to couple the numerical simulation of a primary test stand driver with an optimal load design, a zero- dimensional wire array load model is designed based on the Saturn load model using PSPICE, which is an upgraded version of the Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasis （SPICE） designed by the ORCAD Corporation to perform circuit simulations. This paper calculates different load parameters and discusses factors influencing the driving current curve. With appropriate driving current curves chosen, further magneto-hydrodynamic calculations are carried out and discussed to provide the best results for experiments. The suggested optimal load parameters play an important role in experimental load design.

Magnetic focusing of cold atomic beam with a 2D array of current-carrying wires

A new scheme to realize a two-dimensional （2D） array of magnetic micro-lenses for a cold atomic beam. formed by an array of square current-carrying wires, is proposed. We calculate the spatial distributions of the magnetic fields from the array of current-carrying wires and the magnetic focusing potential for cold rubidium atoms, and study the dynamic focusing processes of cold atoms passing through the mag- netic micro-lens array and its focusing properties by using Monte-Carlo simulations and trajectory tracing method. The result shows that the proposed micro-lens array can be used to focus effectively a cold atomic beam, even to load ultracold atoms or a BEC sample into a 2D optical lattice formed by blue detuned hollow beams.

A Pt-Bi bimetallic nanoparticle catalyst for direct electro- oxidation of formic acid in fuel cells

Direct formic acid fuel cells are a promising portable power-generating device, and the development of efficient anodic catalysts is essential for such a fuel cell. In this work Pt-Bi nanoparticles supported on micro-fabri- cated gold wire array substrate were synthesized using an electrochemical deposition method for formic acid oxida- tion in fuel cells. The surface morphology and element components of the Pt-Bi/Au nanoparticles were character- ized, and the catalytic activities of the three Pt-Bi/Au nanoparticle electrodes with different Pt/Bi ratios for formic acid oxidation were evaluated. It was found that Pt4Bi96/Au had a much higher catalytic activity than Pt11Bis89/Au and Pt13Bis87/Au, and Pt4Bi96/Au exhibited a current density of 2.7mA.cm^-2, which was 27-times greater than that of Pt/Au. The electro-catalytic activity of the Pt-Bi/Au electrode for formic acid oxidation increased with the increasing Bi content, suggesting that it would be possible to achieve an efficient formic acid oxidation on the low Pt-loading. Therefore, the Pt-Bi/Au electrode offers a promising catalyst with a high activity for direct oxidation of formic acid in fuel cells.