title: Plasma characterization using ultraviolet Thomson scattering from ion-acoustic and electron plasma waves (invited).
abstract: Collective Thomson scattering is a technique for measuring the plasma conditions in laser-plasma experiments. Simultaneous measurements of ion-acoustic and electron plasma-wave spectra were obtained using a 263.25-nm Thomson-scattering probe beam. A fully reflective collection system was used to record light scattered from electron plasma waves at electron densities greater than 1021cm-3, which produced scattering peaks near 200 nm. An accurate analysis of the experimental Thomson-scattering spectra required accounting for plasma gradients, instrument sensitivity, optical effects, and background radiation. Practical techniques for including these effects when fitting Thomson-scattering spectra are presented and applied to the measured spectra to show the improvements in plasma characterization.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, 250 East River Road, Rochester, New York 14623, USA.
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Follett
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, 250 East River Road, Rochester, New York 14623, USA.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Delettrez
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, 250 East River Road, Rochester, New York 14623, USA.
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Edgell
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, 250 East River Road, Rochester, New York 14623, USA.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Henchen
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, 250 East River Road, Rochester, New York 14623, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Katz
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, 250 East River Road, Rochester, New York 14623, USA.
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Myatt
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, 250 East River Road, Rochester, New York 14623, USA.
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Froula