Correlation between soft X-ray emission and dynamics of fast capillary discharges

A capillary discharge nas driven by a fast pulse power generator 'LIMAY-I' (3 Omega-70 ns) to investigate plasma dynamics. A two-stage pre-ionization circuit was developed to obtain uniformly preionized plasma load as the initial condition. Time-resolved radiations from the plasma column were observed by X-ray detectors and a fast streak camera. Experimental results indicated that the column can implode (rapidly contract) stably in an initial pressure range of 200-1000 ra of argon. The reproducibility of the signal was quite good and the behavior of plasma column was well explained by one-dimensional magnetro-hydrodynamic (1D-MHD) simulation. These results suggest that the final plasma parameters satisfy the lasing condition for collisionally pumped Ne-like Ar with a sufficient margin of stability.