The Z-Machine at Sandia - world’s most powerful x-ray source (2 MJ in 10 ns ® 200 TW of X-ray power)

We field a small container of gas (O, Ne, Ar, Fe…) near the pinch, exposing it to x-rays, and create an x-ray photoionized nebula, which we monitor spectroscopically.

Capacitor bank discharges during a ‘shot’.

Current implodes a cylindrical wire array, producing x-rays.