A hybrid X-pinch configuration consisting of solid conical electrodes connected by a wire has been tested on a 45 ns risetime, 500 kA peak current pulsed power generator. Wires of different materials were loaded through holes in the cones; wire lengths were varied from 0.6 to 2 mm. Most of these hybrid X-pinches generated an intense single burst of soft x-rays and developed a single hot spot that was of micron-scale size. Hybrid X-pinches generate less hard x-ray intensity than standard X-pinches.

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Results from experimental studies of a hybrid X pinch with an initial configuration in the form of a high current diode with conical tungsten electrodes spaced by 1-2 mm and connected to one another with 20 to 100 μm diameter wires are presented. The experiments were carried out at four facilities with a current amplitude from 200 to 1000 kA and front duration from 45 to 200 ns. It is shown that, in spite of their simpler configuration, hybrid X pinches with a short rise time of the current pulse (50-100 ns) are highly competitive with standard X pinches in the generated soft X ray power and the formation of a single hot spot in them is much more stable, while hard X ray emission is almost absent. The possibility of using hybrid X pinches as soft X ray sources for point projection X ray imaging of plasma objects is considered.

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The results of laser (shadow and interferometric) studies of thin silver wire cores during a nanosecond electric explosion in vacuum are presented. Experiments were performed with a small Micro-4 generator (the charge voltage is 20 kV, and the current rise rate is 100 A/ns). The analysis of the data obtained showed that, despite a considerable energy deposition (a few atomization energies) into matter at the resistive stage of the discharge, a conductor is not completely evaporated. This is related to the features of the metal–dielectric transition which occurs nonuniformly in different load regions. Processes proceeding in the case of a rapid energy deposition to a conductor are qualitatively interpreted. It was shown that in this case the bond energy as the unit of measurement of the deposited energy is more appropriate than the energy of atomisation.