METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR GENERATING SOFT X-RAY RADIATION FROM LINER-TYPE GAS DISCHARGE PLASMA Russian patent published in 2012 - IPC H05G2/00 H01J35/22 

FIELD: physics.

SUBSTANCE: working plasma-forming gas is fed into a vacuum discharge chamber via a plurality of axially symmetrical annular nozzles (5), which form hollow gas cylinders (15) (cascade gas liner), a radiation outlet conduit in form of a cone being provided in the centre of the inner annular nozzle of a high voltage electrode. The outer shell of the cascade liner (15) is ruptured by a pulse from a high-current generator (4). The increasing high-current discharge ionises primarily the outer layer of the outer gas shell and, under the effect of magnetic pressure, the plasma begins to accelerate towards the axis of the liner, ionising the inner shells and setting them in motion. The Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities arising as the outer cylindrical shells move towards the axis are cancelled upon collision with the immobile inner shells. The ions collide on the axis of the vacuum discharge chamber at a speed of 100-500 km/s. The kinetic energy of the plasma turns into thermal energy and a column of hot plasma (16) with a temperature sufficient for the multiple ionisation of gas atoms is formed on the axis of the vacuum discharge chamber. When the atoms recombine, soft X-ray radiation is generated.

EFFECT: increase in mean radiation power and increase in efficiency of converting stored energy of a generator into soft X-ray radiation energy.

4 cl, 1 dwg