Measurements of the energy spectrum of electrons emanating from solid materials irradiated by a picosecond laser
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 (United States)
- Artep, Inc., Ellicott City, Mary land 21042 (United States)
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94551 (United States)
- Ecopulse, Inc., Springfield, Virginia 22150 (United States)
- University of California, San Diego, Energy Research Center, La Jolla, California 92093 (United States)
In this work, we present the results of experiments observing the properties of the electron stream generated laterally when a laser irradiates a metal. We find that the directionality of the electrons is dependent upon their energies, with the higher-energy tail of the spectrum (∼1 MeV and higher) being more narrowly focused. This behavior is likely due to the coupling of the electrons to the electric field of the laser. The experiments are performed by using the Titan laser to irradiate a metal wire, creating the electron stream of interest. These electrons propagate to nearby spectator wires of differing metals, causing them to fluoresce at their characteristic K-shell energies. This fluorescence is recorded by a crystal spectrometer. By varying the distances between the wires, we are able to probe the divergence of the electron stream, while by varying the medium through which the electrons propagate (and hence the energy-dependence of electron attenuation), we are able to probe the energy spectrum of the stream.
- OSTI ID:
- 22408350
- Journal Information:
- Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 22, Issue 4; Other Information: (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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