ORIGINAL RESEARCH Neon Soft X-Ray Yield Optimization from PF-SY1 Plasma Focus Device

Abstract Based on the consideration of that for operation of the plasma focus in neon, a focus pinch compression temperature of 200–500 eV (2.3 9 106–5 9 106 K) is suitable for good yield of neon soft X-rays (SXR), numerical experiments have been investigated on the plasma focus device PF-SY1 using the latest version Lee model code. The Lee model code is firstly applied to characterize the PF-SY1 Plasma Focus. Keeping the bank parameters and operational voltage unchanged but sys-tematically changing other parameters, numerical experi-ments were performed finding the optimum Ysxr was 0.026 J. Thus we expect to increase the neon Ysxr of PF-SY1 from its present typical operation; without changing the capacitor bank and the electrode configuration merely by changing the operating pressure. The Lee model code was also used to run numerical experiments on PF-SY1 with neon gas for optimizing soft X-ray yield with reducing L0, varying z0 and ‘a’. From these numerical experiments we expect to increase the neon Ysxr of PF-SY1 with reducing L0, from the present 0.026 J at L0 = 1600 nH to maximum value of near 26 J at an achievable L0 = 10 nH