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Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin Company, for the United States Department of Energy under Contract DE-AC04-94AL85000. Approved for public release: further dissemination unlimited.

DISCLAIMER AbstractFoam Z-pinch experiments have been performed on the SATURN and Z machines at Sandia National Laboratories to study physics issues related to x-ray radiation generation and inertial confinement fusion. A significant issue for foam 2-pinch experiments is the transparency of the heated foam as a function of time and wavelength. Foam transparency will be important in future foam Z-pinch experiments both because it influences the timedependent radiation field seen by an ICF capsule embedded in the foam, and because it is an important factor in making high-resolution spectral measurements of a capsule or tracers embedded in the foam. In this paper, we describe results from simulations and experiments which address the issue of foam transparency. We discuss imaging data from one Z experiment in which x-ray emission from a half-Au/half-CH disk located at the bottom of a 1 cm-tall, 14 mg/cc TPX foam is observed. Simulation results predicting CH foam optical depths as a function of plasma conditions are presented. In addition, we present results from spectral calculations which utilize 2-D MHD simulation predictions for the time-dependent foam conditions. Our results indicate that the observed x-ray framing camera images are consistent with early-time (several ns prior to stagnation) foam electron temperatures of 2 30 eV, which is somewhat hotter than the foam electron temperatures predicted from the 2-D MHD simulations at early times.

We assembled and tested a vi'sible framing camera system to take 5 ns FWHM images of ST1the early time emission from a z-pinch plasma. This diagnostic was used in conjunction with a visible streak camera allowing early time emissions measurements to diagnose current initiation. Individual frames from gated image intensifiers were proximity coupled to charge injection device (CID) cameras and read out at video rate and 8-bit resolution. A mirror was used to view the pinch from a 90-degree angle. We observed the destruction of the mirror surface, due to the high surface heating, and the subsequent reduction in signal reflected from the nlirror. Images were obtained that showed early time ejecta and a nonuniform emission from the target. This initial test of the equipment highlighted problems with this measurement. We observed non-uniformities in early time emission. This is believed to be due to either spatially varying current density or heating of the foam. Images were obtained that showed early time ejecta from the target. The results and suggestions for improvement are discussed in the text.

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