Comparison of Wire, Foil, and Hybrid X-Pinch Backlighters for Talbot-Lau X-Ray Imaging Diagnostics*

Three types of Cu X-pinches were studied as X-ray sources for refraction-based imaging. In the deflectometer configuration, Talbot-Lau X-ray (TLX) Interferometry can provide electron density, elemental composition, and scatter information from a single image. TLX backlighters must meet specific source requirements to accurately diagnose HED experiments. Wire, hybrid, and laser-cut foil X-pinches were compared on the GenASIS driver ($\sim $ 200 kA, 150 ns). All configurations produced short (\textasciitilde 1 ns), small ($\le $ 5 $\mu $m) Cu L-shell ($\sim $ 1 keV) sources with comparable peak fluxes. Laser-cut foil X-pinches produced the brightest ($\sim $ 1 MW) and smallest ($\le $ 5 $\mu $m) Cu K-shell (\textasciitilde 8-9 keV) sources. While Moire fringe formation was demonstrated for all X-pinches, laser-cut foils delivered the highest fringe contrast and spatial resolution, making them the ideal candidate for pulsed-power based X-ray backlighting for TLX refraction diagnostics. Moreover, spectroscopic data indicate foil X-pinches reached temperatures \textgreater 2 keV, produced no temporally or spatially separated electron beams, and produced single sources with the highest and most localized K-shell flux of any configuration.