Study of microsecond X-pinches of refractory and non-refractory metals

In this report, we present a comparative study on the properties of x-rays from X-pinches made of two groups of metallic wires. The results were obtained on a small current driver having dI/dt of 0.04-0.11 kA ns(-1). The X-pinches made of refractory (Mo and W) and non-refractory (Al and Cu) wires were studied for the current required to pinch and their x-ray parameters such as x-ray yield, timing, jitter, number of bursts, and source size. It has been observed that despite lower linear mass density, the Cu group requires a higher current for plasma to pinch than the W group X-pinches. For a given configuration, a faster current compresses the plasma at a higher current which leads to comparatively higher x-ray yield. Substantial enhancement in the quality of x-rays has also been observed in wires with few micron thick dielectric coating. The results of this work can be useful in the development of a small capacitive X-pinch system suitable for studies related to high energy density physics.