Discharge dynamics from an x-ray generating tribosource

Abstract

When an adhesive tape is peeled in vacuum, x rays are generated in burst of short duration (order nanosecond) whose origin is not yet fully understood. In this work, we analyze the electrical discharge dynamics occurring when a pressure-sensitive adhesive tape is peeled from its own backing in x-ray emitting conditions. We characterize these dynamics with the time between consecutive discharges and study its statistical properties as a function of both peeling speed and surrounding air pressure. We find that processes whose dynamics are characterized by shorter timescales generate the high energy portion of the x-ray spectrum. Furthermore, the air pressure affects the emission intensity but not the maximum single photon energy attainable. Our results indicate that there exist more complex physical mechanisms at play than previously thought in this system. Understanding the physical processes behind these dynamics may help improve the yield from devices that use this technology for x-ray production.