Spatially and temporally resolved x-ray spectroscopic diagnosis of hot electron generation in the laser-produced plasma with parameters relevant for realization of the inertial confinement fusion

Authors

M. Šmíd, O. Renner,  A. Colaitis, V. T. Tikhonchuk, T. Schlegel, F.B. Rosmej

Laboratory / Department
Department of Radiation and Chemical Physics (PALS Centre)
Citation
Nature Communications 10 (2019), 4212 (1-8)
DOI
10.1038/s41467-019-12008-9
Year
2019

Detailed characterization of hot electrons (HE) driven by interaction of intense laser beams with solids is important for advancement in high-energy-density-physics and development of alternate schemes for inertial confinement fusion. Experiments performed at laser system PALS revealed a significant delay between the maximum of the laser pulse and HE generation. Applied combination of X-ray spectroscopy with atomic physics offers a novel approach to HE characterization inside near solid density matter.

Spatially resolved X-ray spectra characterize generation of hot electrons in the laser produced plasma
Experimentally observed mirror-symmetric spectral records of Cu Kα emission from the laser irradiated copper foil visualize distribution of hot electrons in a relatively cold and dense target material. Two-dimensional hydrodynamic modelling combined with non-thermal atomic simulations interpret a large spatial extent of Kα emission from the deflected foil in terms of a delay (250-500 ps) between the laser pulse maximum and the presence of hot electrons.  

Contact: Oldřich Renner
Collaborating institutions: Institute of Plasma Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Germany, Sorbonne Université, Faculté des Sciences et Ingénierie, Paris, France, LULI, École Polytechnique, Palaiseau, France, Centre Lasers Intenses et Applications, University of Bordeaux, France, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology MIPT, Russia, National  Research  Nuclear  University MEPhI, Moscow, Russia