Time-Resolved Spectrometer for Warm X-Rays, 20 to 200 keV

During aboveground testing for the effects of nuclear weapon X-rays, the Services have requested higher fluence and more reproducible sources especially in the warm, 10 - 200 keV spectral region. Part of the limitation to meeting this need is the lack of a good diagnostic tool for accurately measuring the absolute details of the emitted spectra. The development of X-ray simulators and benchmarking computer models require accurate X-ray spectra and the users need assurance of correlation within test series and over the years of simulator replacements. FARTECH, Inc. proposes a unique high precision spectrometer that will meet these requirements. The design concept is simple, compact, flexible, robust, low cost, and is applicable for Departments of Defense and Energy X-ray simulators. The diagnostic technique uses carefully matched filter pairs, with suitable detectors, to build a spectrometer capable of providing real-time, shot-to-shot spectra in the warm X-ray region. During Phase I, FARTECH will design, fabricate and perform proof-of-principle tests with a prototype single channel balanced filter spectrometer, around 40 keV, on an X-ray simulator. In Phase II, we will develop and test a complete prototype multi-channel spectrometer over the range of 20 to 200 keV. FARTECH's innovative X-ray spectrometers based on the balanced filter method will benefit the diagnostics of high intensity pulsed power X-ray sources, such as Z-pinch plasmas, inertial confinement fusion plasmas and magnetic confinement fusion plasma devices. They can enhance the contrast of medical radiographic and tomographic images to a new level. Their compactness will allow their use in space vehicles or satellites to measure astrophysical X-ray emission sources.