X-ray spectroscopic diagnostics of nonstationary and optically dense high-temperature micropinch plasma in the fast plasma focus discharge

The injection of argon into the working gas (deuterium) of the SPEED 2 fast plasma focus results in the formation of open-quotes plasma pointsclose quotes - micropinches (MP) in a diffuse plasma column with the cross-sectional dimension 2R = 40 μm. On the basis of analyzed X-ray spectra of H-, He- and Li-like argon ions, taking into account the optical density effects in the nonstationary (expanding or compressing) plasma, it is shown that micropinches are a dense (ne ∼ 1023 cm-3) high-temperature (Te ∼ 1 - 1.5 keV) plasma that emits the lines of He-like argon ions when compressed with the velocity of about 105 m/s. 15 refs., 4 figs