X-ray Spectral Emission From Sodium Wire Implosions On Saturn

X-ray spectra were collected from sodium imploded-wire emissions in the Saturn pulsed-power generator at the Sandia National Laboratories. The spectral profiles of the Na X and XI alpha lines were determined with a high-resolution KAP (002) spectrograph while a mica crystal spectrograph was used to acquire the entire sodium K-shell emission. The computer-processed time-integrated intensity data were interpreted by comparing with theoretically-predicted spectra. A static, collisionally-radiative equilibrium model incorporating multifrequency radiation transport was used to compute the spectral intensities and line shapes. The agreement between observed and calculated opacity-broadened line profiles indicate small intense-emitting regions of high-density plasma consistent with temporally-resolved x-ray pinhole images.