Polarized x-rays from a z-pinch plasma

This paper presents the first experimental evidence for polarization of x-rays from He-like argon in a plasma focus, and for x-rays from He-like iron from a vacuum spark. The diagnostic needs two crystal spectrometers with mutually perpendicular dispersive planes parallel and perpendicular to the discharge axis. Resonance lines from He-like ions are always polarized, and this fact has implications for estimating plasma parameters. X-ray polarization also gives information about anisotropy in fast electrons with energy of a few keV.