Spectroscopic investigation of high-density plasmas produced in a Z-pinch

Abstract

The plasma density and temperature of a dense z-pinch have been deduced from the continuum radiation of the plasma between 200 and 1000 nm, from the optical thickness of the plasma column, and from holographically obtained interferograms. At the time of maximum compression, the temperature is typically between 5 and 10 eV and the electron density between 5 × 10 17 and 5 × 10 19 cm -3, depending on the choice of filling gas and pressure. Both hydrogen and helium were used. The radial particle distribution can be estimated from the spectrally resolved continuum radiation of the optically thick plasmas by applying Bartel's theory.