On the Size of the Soft X-Ray Radiation Source Based on an X-Pinch

The advent of X-pinch based compact radiographs has significantly expanded the application field of pulsed radiography for diagnostics of fast processes. The key point here is the spatial resolution which these radiographs can provide. The method for determining the size of the soft x-ray (SXR) source based on diffraction imaging of opaque metallic wires and their comparison with the diffraction pattern calculated for an extended source in a given spectral range is presented in the paper. The X-pinch source sizes have been measured taking into account the sensitometric characteristic of the film and the scanner characteristics. By this method it has been shown that the diameter of the X-pinch radiation source for current rise rates in the range 0.7–1.35 kA/ns varies slightly for the spectral range hv >3 keV.