Investigation of femtosecond collisional ionization rates in a solid-density aluminium plasma.
The rate at which atoms and ions within a plasma are further ionized by collisions with the free electrons is a fundamental parameter that dictates the dynamics of plasma systems at intermediate and high densities. While collision rates are well known experimentally in a few dilute systems, similar measurements for nonideal plasmas at densities approaching or exceeding those of solids remain elusive. Here we describe a spectroscopic method to study collision rates in solid-density aluminium plasmas created and diagnosed using the Linac Coherent light Source free-electron X-ray laser, tuned to specific interaction pathways around the absorption edges of ionic charge states. We estimate the rate of collisional ionization in solid-density aluminium plasmas at temperatures ~30 eV to be several times higher than that predicted by standard semiempirical models.
Department of Physics, Clarendon Laboratory, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PU, UK.
S M
SM
Vinko
Department of Physics, Clarendon Laboratory, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PU, UK.
O
O
Ciricosta
Department of Physics, Clarendon Laboratory, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PU, UK.
T R
TR
Preston
Department of Physics, Clarendon Laboratory, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PU, UK.
D S
DS
Rackstraw
Department of Plasma Physics, AWE Aldermaston, Reading RG7 4PR, UK.
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CR
Brown
Institute of Physics ASCR, Na Slovance 2, Prague 8 18221, Czech Republic.
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T
Burian
Institute of Physics ASCR, Na Slovance 2, Prague 8 18221, Czech Republic.
J
J
Chalupský
1] Center for Relativistic Laser Science, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Gwangju 500-712, Korea [2] Department of Physics and Photon Science, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju 500-712, Korea.
B I
BI
Cho
Atomic and Molecular Data Unit, Nuclear Data Section, IAEA, PO Box 100, Vienna A-1400, Austria.
H-K
HK
Chung
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, California 94720, USA.
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K
Engelhorn
1] Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, California 94720, USA [2] Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
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RW
Falcone
Department of Physics, Clarendon Laboratory, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PU, UK.
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R
Fiokovinini
Institute of Physics ASCR, Na Slovance 2, Prague 8 18221, Czech Republic.
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V
Hájková
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA.
P A
PA
Heimann
Institute of Physics ASCR, Na Slovance 2, Prague 8 18221, Czech Republic.
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L
Juha
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA.
H J
HJ
Lee
Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
R W
RW
Lee
National Science Foundation BioXFEL Science and Technology Center, 700 Ellicott Street, Buffalo, New York 14203, USA.
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M
Messerschmidt
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA.
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B
Nagler
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA.
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W
Schlotter
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA.
J J
JJ
Turner
Institute of Physics ASCR, Na Slovance 2, Prague 8 18221, Czech Republic.
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L
Vysin
IOQ, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Max-Wien-Platz 1, Jena 07743, Germany.
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U
Zastrau
Department of Physics, Clarendon Laboratory, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PU, UK.
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Wark