title: A source to deliver mesoscopic particles for laser plasma studies.
abstract: Intense ultrashort laser produced plasmas are a source for high brightness, short burst of X-rays, electrons, and high energy ions. Laser energy absorption and its disbursement strongly depend on the laser parameters and also on the initial size and shape of the target. The ability to change the shape, size, and material composition of the matter that absorbs light is of paramount importance not only from a fundamental physics point of view but also for potentially developing laser plasma sources tailored for specific applications. The idea of preparing mesoscopic particles of desired size/shape and suspending them in vacuum for laser plasma acceleration is a sparsely explored domain. In the following report we outline the development of a delivery mechanism of microparticles into an effusive jet in vacuum for laser plasma studies. We characterise the device in terms of particle density, particle size distribution, and duration of operation under conditions suitable for laser plasma studies. We also present the first results of x-ray emission from micro crystals of boric acid that extends to 100 keV even under relatively mild intensities of 1016W/cm2.
authors.affiliation: Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, 21, Brundhavan Colony, Hyderabad 500075, India.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gopal
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Kandi, Sangareddy 502285, India.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, 21, Brundhavan Colony, Hyderabad 500075, India.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Anand
authors.affiliation: Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, 21, Brundhavan Colony, Hyderabad 500075, India.
authors.forename: A
authors.identifier: 0000000258408768
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kulkarni
authors.affiliation: Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, 21, Brundhavan Colony, Hyderabad 500075, India.
authors.forename: D P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036, India.
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Krishnan
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Kandi, Sangareddy 502285, India.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.affiliation: Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, 21, Brundhavan Colony, Hyderabad 500075, India.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Krishnamurthy