Picosecond x-ray laser interferometry of dense plasmas.
We present the first results from picosecond interferometry of dense laser-produced plasmas using a soft x-ray laser. The picosecond duration and short wavelength of the 14.7 nm Ni-like Pd laser mitigates effects associated with motion blurring and refraction through millimeter-scale plasmas. This enables direct measurement of the electron-density profile to within 10 microm of the target surface. A series of high-quality two-dimensional (2D) density measurements provide unambiguous characterization of the time evolution in a fast-evolving plasma suitable for validation of existing 1D and 2D hydrodynamic codes.
Smith
R F
RF
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, California 94551, USA.
Dunn
J
J
Nilsen
J
J
Shlyaptsev
V N
VN
Moon
S
S
Filevich
J
J
Rocca
J J
JJ
Marconi
M C
MC
Hunter
J R
JR
Barbee
T W
TW