Scaling of Kα line emission in Z pinches from 2–60 keV

Z-pinch plasmas are well known to generate Kα emission from non-thermal effects, such as energetic electrons and fluorescence. Recent work to extend the spectral range of diagnostics on Z has enabled us, for the first time, to diagnose Kα emission from W wire arrays at 59.3 keV, including K-shell emission from tracers such as In, Sn and Ba. A calibrated Cauchois spectrometer is used to provide estimates of the energy in the W Kα line. Additionally, differentially filtered imaging has provided two-dimensional imaging of the Kα emitting regions at 17 keV for a Mo wire array and potentially at 59 keV. We discuss data from experiments on the Z generator to investigate the scaling and behavior of the Kα emission for materials ranging from Al to W.