Speaker
Description
The Cygnus Dual Beam Radiographic Facility consists of two identical radiographic sources each with a dose rating of 4-rad at 1 m, and a 1-mm diameter spot size. The development of the rod pinch diode was responsible for the ability to meet these criteria¹. The rod pinch diode in a Cygnus machine uses a 0.75-mm diameter, tapered tip, tungsten anode rod extended through a 9-mm diameter, aluminum cathode aperture. When properly configured, the electron beam born off the aperture edge can self-insulate and pinch onto the tip of the rod creating an intense, small x-ray source. The Cygnus sources are utilized as the primary diagnostic on Subcritical Experiments that are single-shot, high-value events. In such an application, there is a necessity for reliability and reproducibility, as well as a precise measurement of these qualities. On Cygnus, the primary diagnostic for reliability and reproducibility is dosimetry. Thermoluinescent² dosimeters (TLDs) are used for time-integrated dose, and PIN diodes are used for time-resolved dose. Precision dosimetry calibration methods and results will be presented. Cygnus reliability and reproducibility using TLD dosimetry measurements will be given.
*Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-mission laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.
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G. Cooperstein et al., "Theoretical Modeling and Experimental Characterization of a Rod-Pinch Diode," in Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 8, Number 10, October 2001.
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J. Smith et al., “Performance of the Cygnus X-ray Source” in Proceedings of the 15th IEEE Pulsed Power Conf., 13-17 June 2005, pp. 334-337.
