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.
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, California 94551, USA.
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RF
Smith
J
J
Dunn
J
J
Nilsen
V N
VN
Shlyaptsev
S
S
Moon
J
J
Filevich
J J
JJ
Rocca
M C
MC
Marconi
J R
JR
Hunter
T W
TW
Barbee