The X-ray emission from vacuum discharge micro fragments at comparatively low applied voltages

The temporal evolution of X-ray emission of laser-induced discharges was investigated by means of a picosecond X-ray streak camera. Point-like structures with a divergence of order 10/sup -7/ and thin hot layers of intense X-ray radiation with life time from 30 ps to 1.5 ns in spectral range 100 eV-10 keV have been found in a comparatively low voltage vacuum discharge (U=150 V-2.7 kV) initiated by picosecond laser beam. Computer simulation shows that such X-ray generation is connected with a matter transition into extreme states when in local microvolumes of dense current carrying plasma the pressures can exceed values of 5 Mbar and the specific internal energies /spl epsi//spl ges/1 MJ/g.