Characterization results from several commercial soft x-ray streak cameras

The spatio-temporal performance of four soft x-ray streak cameras has been characterized. The objective in evaluating the performance capability of these instruments is to enable us to optimize experiment designs, to encourage quantitative analysis of streak data and to educate the ultra high speed photography and photonics community about the x-ray detector performance which is available. These measurements have been made collaboratively over the space of two years at the Forge pulsed x-ray source at Los Alamos and at the Ketjak laser facility an CEA Limeil-Valenton. The x-ray pulse lengths used for these measurements at these facilities were 150 psec and 50 psec respectively. The results are presented as dynamically-measured modulation transfer functions. Limiting temporal resolution values were also calculated. Emphasis is placed upon shot noise statistical limitations in the analysis of the data. Space charge repulsion in the streak tube limits the peak flux at ultra short experiments duration times. This limit results in a reduction of total signal and a decrease in signal to noise ratio in the streak image. The four cameras perform well with 20 1p/mm resolution discernable in data from the French C650X, the Hadland X-Chron 540 and the Hamamatsu C1936X streak cameras. The Kentech x-ray streak camera has lower modulation and does not resolve below 10 1p/mm but has a longer photocathode. The C650X bi-lamellar design shows uniform high fidelity recording across both spatial and temporal dimensions. The other three streak cameras show resolution degradation off axis. This must be weighed against a 10X lower streak tube throughput for the C650X