Diagnostics on the COBRA pulsed power generator

The COBRA pulsed power generator has a variable current pulse wave form and amplitude (95–180ns rise time, up to 1MA peak current). It was designed to study wire array Z pinches and X pinches, including plasma formation, pinch implosion dynamics, and pinch plasma parameters as a function of current rise time. These loads have been studied using an extensive set of diagnostics with spatial and/or temporal resolution. The set of electrical diagnostics on the COBRA generator includes Rogowski coils to monitor the total load current and the current through individual return current posts, and there is also an inductive voltage monitor. A set of extreme ultraviolet and x-ray detectors is used to study the load radiation. Wire array and X pinch plasma formation and dynamics are studied using two-frame, point projection X-pinch x-ray imaging as well as with multiframe laser probing. Flat potassium acid phtalate crystal (KAP), convex, extreme luminosity imaging conical spectrograph, and focusing spectrograph with...