Renovated Compact Z-pinch Facility ``Sparky'' and Development and Tests of Focusing Crystal X-ray Spectrometers*

The compact x-ray/EUV facility ``Sparky'' at the UNR Physics Department's Plasma Physics and Diagnostics Laboratory (PPDL) was renovated to obtain high density and temperature plasmas with gas-puff z-pinch experiments. The renovated facility will be used for plasma dynamics and radiation studies, x-ray spectroscopic research, benchmarking of theoretical codes, calibration of x-ray and diagnostic instrumentation, and education and training of UNR physics students. The SCREAMER code was used to model the device's circuit and predicted a 200-230 kA current pulse with a rise time of 600 ns. To develop new diagnostics, a vertical focusing Hamos type spectrometer with a cylindrically bent mica crystal and a horizontal focusing Johann type spectrometer with a cylindrically bent Si crystal were designed for x-ray spectroscopy of the gas jets. Both spectrometers were tested with the NTF Leopard fs laser and captured x-ray spectra from laser interactions with Ar and Kr gas-puff jets from a supersonic nozzle.