Two-Dimensional Staring Arrays for Low-Cost Passive Millimeter-Wave Imaging

Not Available Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities are thought to limit the pulse-width compression ratio, power coupling from driver to pinch and radiation efficiency, for z-pinches at 4 MA (Double-Eagle), 9 MA (Saturn) and 18 MA (Z). Alameda Applied Sciences Corporation proposes to use a train of 150 ps laser pulses to capture snap-shots of the density structures in an imploding z-pinch. These snap-shots will reveal the structure of instabilities in the pinch and allow us to correlate improved power coupling to the pinch and higher radiation efficiency with mitigation of such instabilities. The technique we propose to use is called Laser Shearing Interferometry. LSI gives information on the sheath shape, stability and implosion velocity. The Phase-I project will concentrate on just these measurements on Double-Eagle. In Phase-II, the same hardware, with a few modifications, may be used to augment the sheath measurements to provide a detailed study of the implosion dynamics of the pinch. The Phase-II instrument will thus be a more comprehensive tool for z-pinch development. The Phase III effort will commercialize the instrument and supply models to DoD and DOE laboratories engaged in PRS research as well as modify the instrument for other commercial applications such as the combustion diagnostic tool. This program could improve the capabilities of existing and higher current simulators (Decade, Z and beyond) and provide design criteria for future simulators. Commercial applications include non-invasive monitoring of fuel droplet-vapor mixing in combustion chambers including rocket engines and of x-ray lithography and microscopy system reproducibility and reliability.