Experimental studies of Z-pinches of mixed wire array with aluminum and tungsten

In the form of joint experiment between China and Russia, the experimental studies of Zpinches of mixed wire array of aluminum (A1) and tungsten (W) were carried out on S-300 generator,which was located on Kurchatov Institute of Russia. The experimental results were compared with those of single A1 array and single W array, respectively. There are obvious difference between mixed one and single one in their photon spectral distributions. The intensity of K-series emission lines from the mixed wire array Z-pinch is lower than that from single A1 array. The radiated lines with wavelengths less than 1.6nm were not found in single W array Z-pinches. In the Z-pinch processes, the area radiating x-arys in mixed wire array is smaller than that of single A1 array, but is larger than that of single W array. The radiated energy from mixed wire array Z-pinch is higher than that from single A1 array, but is slightly lower than that from single W array. The FWHM of x-ray pulse with a maximal power 0.3—0.5TW and total energy 10—20kJ is about 25ns, which radiated from Z-pinches with a radial convergence of 4—5 on S-300 generator. The shadow photograph of the mixed wire-array Z-pinch plasma by laser probe shows that the core-corona configuration was formed and the corona was moving toward the center axis during the wire-array plasma formation, that the interface of the plasma is not clear, and that therer are a number of structures inside. They also suggests that there was an obvious development of Magneto Rayleigh-Taylor instability in the Z-pinch process as well.