Measurements of compressed core density of laser-imploded targets by x-ray continuum-edge shift

The density of the compressed neon core in laser-imploded neon-filled microballoons was measured by the shift to longer wavelengths of the free-bound x-ray continuum edges due to the recombination processes e-+Ne+9 and e-+Ne+10. The results are shown to be in good agreement with those obtained by fitting Stark profiles to neon x-ray lines. Density measurements based on continua will be particularly important at higher densities where most spectral lines of the neon ion would disappear due to pressure ionization