Radius and current scaling of argon K‐shell radiation

Argon gas puff experiments on a 3–4 MA generator show that the K‐shell x‐ray yield is optimized for a 2.5 cm initial diameter and 110 ns implosion time. By varying the driver current, the K‐shell yield varies from 13 to 18 kJ following a current to the fourth power scaling. Comparisons of these experimental data to one‐dimensional radiation‐hydrodynamic simulations with and without enhanced transport coefficients show that the measured K‐shell yields exceed those predicted based solely on kinetic energy input.