X-ray spectra of a few picosecond duration were emitted by aluminum, selenium and samarium thin foils irradiated with a 100 TW, 300 fs laser at 0.53 μm wavelength. They were measured in the 1600 eV range with high temporal and spectral resolution, using a high-speed streak camera coupled to a conical Bragg crystal. Gradients were limited by using thin foils (300 to 800 Å) deposited on a 50 μm gold pinhole. Frequency Domain Interferometry was set to measure the velocity of the critical density at the rear of the target and deduce the electron temperature. A few picosecond duration X-ray spectra have been measured. Sm spectra showed no spectral features in the measured wavelength range, providing a spectrally homogeneous backlighter for absorption spectroscopy. The duration of the emission was shorter when observed through a pinhole. 1-D hydrodynamic simulations coupled to an atomic collisional-radiative code have been used to simulate the X-ray emission of aluminum. The main features of the experimental time resolved spectra, obtained for the pinhole target have been well reproduced, for an initial temperature of 700 ± 100 eV.
This paper reviews the highlights of the high intensity laser-plasma experiments achieved with the six-beam and the 100 TW LULI laser facilities, as well as the progress of the LULI 2000 project. This covers fields of laser fusion, equations of state, hgih energy particle emission, atomic physics, X-ray production and laser developments.
This paper summarizes our recent progress achieved in the characterization and understanding of the Ni-like Ag transient x-ray laser pumped under traveling wave irradiation. At the Rutherford Laboratory CPA laser facility, we measured the temporal history of the 13.9 nm laser pulse with a high-resolution streak camera. A very short, approximately 2 ps x-ray laser pulse was directly demonstrated for the first time. More recently we carried out an experiment at the LULI CPA laser facility. Several diagnostics that recorded the plasma emission at the XRL wavelength or in the keV range indicate the presence of small-scale spatial structures in the emitting XRL source. Single-shot Fresnel interferograms at 13.9 nm were successfully obtained with a good fringe visibility. Strong lasing was also observed on the Ni-like 4f-4d line at 16 nm.
We present a review of new progress performed in several laboratories (Laboratoire pour l'Utilisation des lasers Intenses, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Prague Asterix Laser System, Institute of Laser Engineering, Laboratoire d'Optique Appliquee). Concerning the realization of x-ray lasers sources, using different laser pumping techniques (600 ps, 100 ps, ns/ps, OFI) and the optimization of their optical properties, using curved and plane half-cavity mirrors. In parallel of these developments, we present the main results obtained with x-ray laser in interferometry applications. These studies concern on the one hand the Michelson interferometry with an x-ray laser emitting at 13.9 nm (recently realized at LULI), and on the other hand the Fresnel bi-mirror with an x-ray laser emitting at 21.2 nm (recently realized at PALS).
Ultra-short x-ray sources are generated by focusing sub- picosecond lasers on massive targets. The emission duration of a samarium x-ray source produced with a 100 TW sub- picosecond laser was measured using an ultra-fast X-ray streak camera. The spectral range was limited around 7.5-8.5 angstrom, the range in which samarium can be used as a backlighter for K(alpha) aluminum absorption experiments. The spectral time-evolution and the duration of samarium emission were measured. Preliminary calculations performed with non-local-thermodynamic equilibrium atomic physics show the plasma cooling which occurs with a characteristic time longer than predicted by radiative hydrocode simulations.
Since its creation, LULI has given an important contribution to laser plasma physics and Inertial Confinement Fusion studies. We will review some major results obtained these last two years with a 600 ps laser chain and with the recent 100-TW, 300fs ultra-intense laser chain. These result cover a wide spectrum of laser plasma physics research such as laser plasma interaction, laser plasma acceleration, fast ignitor, atomic processes in dens plasmas, shock waves generation and x-rays laser.
The collision of laser-produced plasmas has been diagnosed by x-ray spectroscopy and imaging. The two colliding plasmas are produced on Al thin foils at a distance of 200 to 900 micrometers irradiated at (lambda) equals 0.53 micrometers with laser intensities of 3 X 1013 to 6 X 1013 W/cm2. Interpretation of the plasmas was visualized by replacing one of the foils material by magnesium. The main diagnostics were x-ray crystal optics based on flat, cylindrical, and toroidal crystals viewing the inter-target space. A multifluid eulerian monodimensional hydrodynamic code coupled with a radiative-atomic package provided simulations of the experiments. Hydrodynamic 2D simulations calculating the lateral expansion of the plasma enabled a reliable treatment of reabsorption along the line of sight of the spectrographs. The size and the time duration of the collision, the plasma parameters in the collision region (Te, Ti, and ne) and interpenetration were measured. The hydrocode simulations give a good understanding of the behavior of the collision in function of intertarget distance and laser intensity.
This study deals with the mechanic impulse transmitted to a solid target by soft x rays. We have measured the impulse transmitted to thin aluminum layers by x-ray radiation around 1.2 keV produced by a laser-irradiated copper target. The results are compared to radiative hydrocode simulations with the code XRAD.
This article describes the first experiment of our groups to combine monochromatic x-ray imaging with a time-resolving detector i.e., a streak camera and a 120 ps gated framing camera. The aim of setting such a time-resolved diagnostic is to image the x-ray emission from colliding plasmas with high spatial resolution in a very narrow spectral window. Both camera types were tested and the adjustment procedure for the crystal was tested with film as a detector. The obtained spectral and spatial resolution of the x-ray microscope was measured.
We present preliminary results of L-shell absorption spectroscopy in an expanding germanium laser-produced plasma. The experiments were performed on the Octal laser at the Centre d'Etudes de Limeil-Valenton. The ion state distribution was inferred from the absorption spectrum. The radiation used to probe the plasma is produced by interaction of an auxiliary laser beam with a 80-micrometers diameter praseodymium wire, allowing a spatial resolution of the absorption spectrum. Temporal resolution is obtained by adjusting the delay between the driving beams and the probe beam. Modeling with a radiative hydrocode and an atomic kinetics code gives qualitative agreement with the experiments.
We present preliminary experiments and calculations performed to optimize the photoionization of an He-like aluminum plasma. The high emissivity of the 3d-4f M-band of tantalum or tungsten is used as the pump. The plasmas are produced by two 500 ps duration beams of a frequency doubled Nd-glass laser. The pump beam is delayed by 1 ns with respect to the main beam. The Al plasma ionization state has been measured with K-alpha absorption measurements. X-ray diodes and space-resolving crystal spectrographs have been used to measure the intensity of the pump source in the desired spectral range. Optimization of the pumping scheme is analyzed with a numerical description of the photopumping process by a collisional-radiative modeling of the Al plasma including the X-ray pump.
Solid targets have been irradiated by 80 fs laser pulses at 1017 W/cm2 laser irradiance. Spectra obtained in the 0.7 - 0.9 nm wavelength range show that x ray emission occurs at near-solid electron densities (Ne $OM 1023 cm-3). The analysis of the K(alpha) emission line points out the role of hot, fast electrons in the interaction physics. A time-resolved Schlieren imaging technique shows that the ultrashort laser pulses strikes a preplasma created by the laser-amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) with an electron density gradient scale length less than 1 micrometers.
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