RESUMO
The time-dependent radial distribution of the electron temperature in a 0.6 micros, 220-kA gas-puff z-pinch plasma is studied using spatially-resolved observations of line emission from singly to fivefold ionized oxygen ions during the plasma implosion, up to 50 ns before maximum compression. The temperature obtained, together with the previously determined radial distributions of the electron density, plasma radial velocity, and magnetic field, allows for studying the history of the magnetic-field energy coupling to the plasma by comparing the energy deposition and dissipation rates in the plasma. It is found that at this phase of the implosion, approximately 65% of the energy deposited in the plasma is imparted to the plasma radial flow, with the rest of the energy being converted into internal energy and radiation.
RESUMO
A method for a self-consistent determination of the time history of the electron density, electron temperature, and ionic charge-state composition in a multicomponent plasma, using time-dependent measurements and calculations of absolute emission-line intensities, is presented. The method is applied for studying the properties of an imploding gas-puff Z-pinch plasma that contains several oxygen ions up to the fifth ionization stage. Furthermore, by using intensity ratios of lines from different ion species, the electron temperature was determined with a much improved accuracy, in comparison to previous spectroscopic studies of the same plasma. The ion-density history obtained, together with the known time-dependent radial boundaries of the plasma shell, allowed for tracking the rise in time of the mass swept by the magnetic field during the implosion.
