Streaked sub-ps-resolution x-ray line shapes and implications for solid-density plasma dynamics (invited)
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Physics - Plasma physics , Physics - Atomic and mo↗
Engineering topics
Shepherd, R.
Publications and source records attributed to Shepherd, R..
The effects of pre-plasma scale length on the relativistic electron beam directionality
The effects of pre-plasmas on the electron beam directionality was experimentally and numerically investigated. Single material and layered targets made of Ti and/or CH were used to simultaneously measure high-energy (≥3 MeV) electrons along two directions, pre-pulse energy and pre-plasma density. The electron directionality is quantified by using a new parameter, the electron energy ratio of the total kinetic energies along the two directions. Measurements and radiation–hydrodynamic (RH) simulations show that a large (≥3.5 μm) plasma scale length at the critical surface enhances electrons along the laser axis, and such pre-plasma conditions could only be achieved with the CH targets. Particle-in-cell simulations were performed on the RH generated pre-plasmas from Ti and CH targets, and the results show that the CH target provided conditions for higher forward momentum gains by electrons. First, the CH target allowed longer distances for electrons to interact with laser. Second, the intense laser pulse modified the critical surface, but the resulting surface differed. The CH target resulted in a smooth surface where a retro-reflection was observed while the Ti target resulted in a rippled surface that scattered the reflected light. As results, the CH electrons gained higher forward momentum via a direct-laser-acceleration in the counter propagating laser fields. So the results presented in this article show a way of controlling the high-energy electron directionality.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
Quantifying electron temperature distributions from time-integrated x-ray emission spectra
K-shell x-ray emission spectroscopy is a standard tool used to diagnose the plasma conditions created in high-energy-density physics experiments. In the simplest approach, the emissivity-weighted average temperature of the plasma can be extracted by fitting an emission spectrum to a single temperature condition. It is known, however, that a range of plasma conditions can contribute to the measured spectra due to a combination of the evolution of the sample and spatial gradients. In this work, we define a parameterized model of the temperature distribution and use Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampling of the input parameters, yielding uncertainties in the fit parameters to assess the uniqueness of the inferred temperature distribution. Here we present the analysis of time-integrated S and Fe x-ray spectroscopic data from the Orion laser facility and demonstrate that while fitting each spectral region to a single temperature yields two different temperatures, both spectra can be fit simultaneously with a single temperature distribution. We find that fitting both spectral regions together requires a maximum temperature of $1310^{+90}_{-70}$ eV with significant contributions from temperatures down to 200 eV.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
Homogeneous, Micron-Scale High-Energy-Density Matter Generated by Relativistic Laser-Solid Interactions
Short-pulse, laser-solid interactions provide a unique platform for studying complex high-energy-density mat ter. We present the first demonstration of solid density, micron-scale keV plasmas uniformly heated by a high contrast, 400 nm laser at intensities up to 2×10 21 W/cm 2 . High-resolution spectral analysis of X-ray emission reveals uniform heating up to 3.0 keV over 1 µm depths. Particle-in-cell simulations indicate the production of a uniformly heated keV plasma to depths of 2 µm. The significant bulk heating and presence of highly-ionized ions deep within the target are attributed to the few MeV hot electrons that become trapped and undergo refluxing within the target sheath fields. In conclusion, these conditions enable the differentiation of atomic physics models such as ionization potential depression in high energy density environments.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗