Characterization of composite rod-pinch-diode radiographic sources at 5 to 6 MV on Asterix

Composite-rod-pinch loads on Asterix consisting of hollow aluminum tubes supporting either 1-cm-long, 1-mm-diam blunt-end or tapered gold slugs, or 1.5- to 2-mm-diam gold spheres are characterized. Composite-slug loads have slightly-lower doses than the 1.6- or 2-mm-diam standard rod pinches reported elsewhere and smaller spot sizes, leading to higher measured radiography figures-of-merit (FOM). The FOM for the gold-sphere loads is substantially-smaller than for the slug loads.