Possible Evidence for Non-Thermal Electron Energy Distributions in Z-Pinch Plasmas

Summary form only given. Radially resolved X-ray spectra were recorded with a time resolved Johann spectrometer on Double EAGLE. Four percent Cl was added as an optically thin trace element to the Ar in individual shells of multi shell gas-puff loads to study the implosion and radiation characteristics of these shells. The ratios of observed Cl line intensities were compared with predicted values using CRE codes to determine radial distribution of electron temperature, T
_e
and ion density, N
_i
. Preliminary analyses give a higher value for T
_e
(1280 eV) and lower value for N
_i
(7times10
¹⁹
cm
^-3
) when using the ratio of the resonance lines (Ly
_alpha
/He
_alpha
+IC) together with the IC/He
_alpha
line ratio than is obtained with the ratio of the jkl satellites to the IC line intensity together with the IC/He
_alpha
ratio (T
_e
<600 eV, 10
^20
21
cm
^-3
). The apparent two temperature plasma composition implied by the analysis will be discussed to determine if it represents two axially separated radiating regions or if it is a possible indicator of a non-thermal electron population.