Point projection radiography of electromagnetically accelerated flyer plates with an external X-pinch driver

• Published in: Review of scientific instruments Vol. 95; no. 2
• Main Authors: Read, J., Burdiak, G., Bland, S. N., Caballero Bendixsen, L. S., Paxton-Fear, L., Niasse, N., Dobranszki, C., Hawker, N.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.02.2024
• ISSN: 0034-6748; 1089-7623
• DOI: 10.1063/5.0185351

A platform for flyer plate benchmarking experiments has been developed, with an external X-pinch driver for point projection radiography. The experiments were performed using CEPAGE, a low inductance pulsed power machine at First Light Fusion (2 MA, 1.4 µs), with a new vacuum transmission line and flyer load hardware designed specifically to give a line of sight for radiography. A broadband 10–20 keV x-ray source was produced by a portable X-pinch driver (140 kA, 350 ns) [Strucka et al., Matter Radiat. Extremes 7, 016901 (2021)] and was used to image the flyer. Radiography compliments the pre-existing diagnostic suite, which consists of current probes, velocimetry, and side-on optical probing of the impact shock transmitted into a transparent sample. The platform allows for significant insights into the 2D and 3D nature of the flyer launch, such as deformation and instability formation. It was used to diagnose a 10 × 9 × 1 mm3 aluminum flyer, which reached a peak velocity of 4.2 km s−1 before impact with a poly(methylmethacrylate) sample. The experimental configuration, on-shot source characterization, and the results from two flyer plate experiments on CEPAGE are discussed.