A 4-MA linear transformer driver for X-ray generation

Wei Hao; Qiu Mengtong; Jiang Xiaofeng; Wang Zhiguo; Jiang Hongyu; Yao Weibo; Lai Dingguo; Wu Hanyu; Lou Cheng; Wang Jiachen; Yang Yaorong; Sun Fengju; Li Mo; Wang Liangping; Xu Qifu; Li Pengchao; Yang Sen; Shen Yi; Wu Zhen; Wang Jinhua; Liu Wei; Yang Hailiang; Wu Wei; Qiu Aici

doi:10.1063/5.0273536

Volume 10 Issue 6

Nov. 2025

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Wei Hao, Qiu Mengtong, Jiang Xiaofeng, Wang Zhiguo, Jiang Hongyu, Yao Weibo, Lai Dingguo, Wu Hanyu, Lou Cheng, Wang Jiachen, Yang Yaorong, Sun Fengju, Li Mo, Wang Liangping, Xu Qifu, Li Pengchao, Yang Sen, Shen Yi, Wu Zhen, Wang Jinhua, Liu Wei, Yang Hailiang, Wu Wei, Qiu Aici. A 4-MA linear transformer driver for X-ray generation[J]. Matter and Radiation at Extremes, 2025, 10(6): 067401. doi: 10.1063/5.0273536

Citation:

Wei Hao, Qiu Mengtong, Jiang Xiaofeng, Wang Zhiguo, Jiang Hongyu, Yao Weibo, Lai Dingguo, Wu Hanyu, Lou Cheng, Wang Jiachen, Yang Yaorong, Sun Fengju, Li Mo, Wang Liangping, Xu Qifu, Li Pengchao, Yang Sen, Shen Yi, Wu Zhen, Wang Jinhua, Liu Wei, Yang Hailiang, Wu Wei, Qiu Aici. A 4-MA linear transformer driver for X-ray generation[J]. Matter and Radiation at Extremes, 2025, 10(6): 067401. doi: 10.1063/5.0273536

Citation:

Wei Hao, Qiu Mengtong, Jiang Xiaofeng, Wang Zhiguo, Jiang Hongyu, Yao Weibo, Lai Dingguo, Wu Hanyu, Lou Cheng, Wang Jiachen, Yang Yaorong, Sun Fengju, Li Mo, Wang Liangping, Xu Qifu, Li Pengchao, Yang Sen, Shen Yi, Wu Zhen, Wang Jinhua, Liu Wei, Yang Hailiang, Wu Wei, Qiu Aici. A 4-MA linear transformer driver for X-ray generation[J]. Matter and Radiation at Extremes, 2025, 10(6): 067401. doi: 10.1063/5.0273536

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A 4-MA linear transformer driver for X-ray generation

doi: 10.1063/5.0273536

National Laboratory of Intense Pulsed Radiation Simulation and Effect, Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology, Xi’an 710024, China

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Corresponding author: a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: weihaoyy@sina.com
Received Date: 2025-03-31
Accepted Date: 2025-08-19

Available Online: 2025-11-28

Publish Date: 2025-11-01

Abstract

Abstract

We have designed, assembled, and tested a 4-MA, 60-ns fast linear transformer driver (LTD), which is the first operating generator featuring multiple LTD modules connected in parallel. The LTD-based accelerator comprises six modules in parallel, each of which has ten-stage cavities stacked in series. The six LTD modules are connected to a water tank of diameter 6 m via a 3-m-long impedance-matched deionized water-insulated coaxial transmission line. In the water tank, the electrical pulses are transmitted down by six horizontal tri-plate transmission lines. A 2.1-m-diameter two-level vacuum insulator stack is utilized to separate the deionized water region from the vacuum region. In the vacuum, the currents are further transported downstream by a two-level magnetically insulated transmission-line and then converged through four post-hole convolutes. Plasma radiation loads or bremsstrahlung electron beam diodes serve as loads that are expected to generate intense soft X rays or warm X rays. The machine is 3.2 m in height and 22 m in outer diameter, including support systems such as a high-voltage charge supply, magnetic core reset system, trigger system, and support platform for inner stalk installation and maintenance. A total of 1440 individual ±100-kV multi-gap spark switches and 2880 individual 100-kV capacitors are employed in the accelerator. A total of 12 fiber-optic laser-controlled trigger generators combining photoconductive and traditional gas spark switch technologies are used to realize the synchronous discharge of the more than 1000 gas switches. At an LTD charge voltage of ±85 kV, the accelerator stores an initial energy of about 300 kJ and is expected to deliver a current of 3–5 MA into various loads. To date, the LTD facility has shot into a thick-walled aluminum liner load and a reflex triode load. With a thick-walled aluminum liner of inductance 1.81 nH, a current with peak up to 4.1 MA and rise time (10%–90%) of about 60 ns has been achieved. The current transport efficiency from the insulator stack to the liner load approaches 100% during peak times. The LTD accelerator has been used to drive reflex triode loads generating warm X rays with high energy fluence and large radiation area. It has been demonstrated that this LTD is a promising and high-efficiency prime pulsed power source suitable for use in constructing the next generation of large-scale accelerators with currents of tens of megaamperes.

The authors have no conflicts to disclose.
Conflict of Interest
Hao Wei: Conceptualization (equal); Data curation (equal); Formal analysis (equal); Investigation (equal); Methodology (equal); Project administration (equal); Writing – original draft (equal); Writing – review & editing (equal). Mengtong Qiu: Conceptualization (equal); Funding acquisition (equal); Project administration (equal); Supervision (equal). Xiaofeng Jiang: Conceptualization (equal); Data curation (equal); Formal analysis (equal); Investigation (equal); Methodology (equal); Validation (equal); Visualization (equal). Zhiguo Wang: Conceptualization (equal); Data curation (equal); Formal analysis (equal); Investigation (equal); Methodology (equal); Validation (equal); Visualization (equal). Hongyu Jiang: Data curation (equal); Formal analysis (equal); Investigation (equal); Methodology (equal); Validation (equal); Visualization (equal). Weibo Yao: Data curation (equal); Formal analysis (equal); Investigation (equal); Methodology (equal); Validation (equal); Visualization (equal). Dingguo Lai: Conceptualization (lead); Data curation (equal); Formal analysis (equal); Investigation (equal); Methodology (equal); Project administration (equal); Validation (equal); Visualization (equal). Hanyu Wu: Data curation (equal); Formal analysis (equal); Investigation (equal); Methodology (equal); Validation (equal); Visualization (equal). Cheng Lou: Data curation (equal); Formal analysis (equal); Investigation (equal); Methodology (equal); Validation (equal); Visualization (equal). Jiachen Wang: Data curation (lead); Formal analysis (equal); Investigation (equal); Methodology (equal); Validation (equal); Visualization (equal); Writing – original draft (equal). Yaorong Yang: Data curation (equal); Formal analysis (equal); Investigation (equal); Methodology (equal); Validation (equal); Visualization (equal). Fengju Sun: Supervision (equal). Mo Li: Data curation (equal); Formal analysis (equal); Investigation (equal); Methodology (equal); Validation (equal); Visualization (equal). Liangping Wang: Investigation (equal); Methodology (equal); Validation (equal). Qifu Xu: Investigation (equal); Methodology (equal); Validation (equal). Pengchao Li: Validation (equal). Sen Yang: Validation (equal). Yi Shen: Validation (equal). Zhen Wu: Validation (equal). Jinhua Wang: Validation (equal). Wei Liu: Validation (equal). Hailiang Yang: Funding acquisition (equal); Project administration (equal). Wei Wu: Supervision (equal). Aici Qiu: Supervision (equal).
Author Contributions
The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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