X-ray Radiative Signatures Influenced by Nonthermal Effects in High-Energy-Density Laboratory Plasmas of Mid-Atomic-Number Z-pinches
type: CreativeWork
description: Spectroscopy is a powerful utility for noninvasive investigation of high-energy-density (HED) plasma environments with broad application to atomic physics, astrophysics, and HED laboratory physics, including inertial confinement fusion (ICF), making it an inimitable tool for interdisciplinary science. Spectroscopic examination of plasma radiation can yield robust information on plasma conditions such as, temperature, density, size, and elemental composition. Plasma radiation is an atomic fingerprint, providing insight into the diverse microphysics of the complex and intricate plasma system. X-ray radiation, for example, is a signature of ionization kinetics in mid-to-high-Z atoms. X-rays, moreover, are notably valuable for diagnosing HED plasmas, where thermal and nonthermal x-ray features describe, in general, "hot" and "cold" plasmas, respectively. This dissertation focuses on identifying and characterizing nonthermal effects and radiative properties in HED laboratory Z-pinch plasmas. Nonthermal effects describe the interaction of non-Maxwellian electrons or high-energy, external photons with inner-shell electrons in plasma ions, producing distinct radiative signatures which, for example, can diagnose the cooler regions of ICF plasmas as well as plasma accretion around astrophysical compact objects. Z-pinch plasmas are efficient x-ray sources, presenting an attractive platform for laboratory astrophysical studies, such as x-ray-driven emission properties of black hole accretion zones and stellar iron opacity, and for benchmarking spectroscopic codes against plasmas under controlled conditions. In this dissertation, three research projects are presented on two types of pulsed-power Z-pinches of mid-atomic-number material using a suite of experimental, theoretical, and computational techniques. Two projects investigate the role of non-Maxwellian electrons in K-shell Fe, Cr, Ni, and L-shell Mo X-pinch plasmas produced on the Zebra generator at the University of Nevad…
abstract: Spectroscopy is a powerful utility for noninvasive investigation of high-energy-density (HED) plasma environments with broad application to atomic physics, astrophysics, and HED laboratory physics, including inertial confinement fusion (ICF), making it an inimitable tool for interdisciplinary science. Spectroscopic examination of plasma radiation can yield robust information on plasma conditions such as, temperature, density, size, and elemental composition. Plasma radiation is an atomic fingerprint, providing insight into the diverse microphysics of the complex and intricate plasma system. X-ray radiation, for example, is a signature of ionization kinetics in mid-to-high-Z atoms. X-rays, moreover, are notably valuable for diagnosing HED plasmas, where thermal and nonthermal x-ray features describe, in general, "hot" and "cold" plasmas, respectively. This dissertation focuses on identifying and characterizing nonthermal effects and radiative properties in HED laboratory Z-pinch plasmas. Nonthermal effects describe the interaction of non-Maxwellian electrons or high-energy, external photons with inner-shell electrons in plasma ions, producing distinct radiative signatures which, for example, can diagnose the cooler regions of ICF plasmas as well as plasma accretion around astrophysical compact objects. Z-pinch plasmas are efficient x-ray sources, presenting an attractive platform for laboratory astrophysical studies, such as x-ray-driven emission properties of black hole accretion zones and stellar iron opacity, and for benchmarking spectroscopic codes against plasmas under controlled conditions. In this dissertation, three research projects are presented on two types of pulsed-power Z-pinches of mid-atomic-number material using a suite of experimental, theoretical, and computational techniques. Two projects investigate the role of non-Maxwellian electrons in K-shell Fe, Cr, Ni, and L-shell Mo X-pinch plasmas produced on the Zebra generator at the University of Nevad…
author: Childers, Ryan Robert
keywords: astrophysics, atomic physics, high energy density plasma, radiation transport, x-ray line polarization, X-ray spectroscopy
date published: 2023
date modified: 2026-07-27T21:47:14Z
provider: University of Nevada - Reno
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Nevada - Reno

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property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/11714/10579