Laser Heating of Solid Matter by Light-Pressure-Driven Shocks at Ultrarelativistic Intensities

Journal Article · Tue Apr 29 00:00:00 EDT 2008 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.165002· OSTI ID:927580

Akli, K U; Hansen, S B; Kemp, A J; Freeman, R R; Beg, F N; Clark, D C; Chen, S D; Hey, D; Hatchett, S P; Highbarger, K; Giraldez, E; Green, J S; Gregori, G; Lancaster, K L; Ma, T; MacKinnon, A J; Norreys, P; Patel, N; Pasley, J; Shearer, C ; Stephens, R B; Stoeckl, C; Storm, M; Theobald, W; Van Woerkom, L D; Weber, R; Key, M H

The heating of solid targets irradiated by 5 x 10^20 W cm^-2, 0.8 ps, 1.05 um wavelength laser light is studied by x-ray spectroscopy of the K-shell emission from thin layers of Ni, Mo, and V. A surface layer is heated to ~5 keV with an axial temperature gradient of 0.6 um scale length. Images of Ni Ly sub-alpha show the hot region has <25 um diameter. These data are consistent with collisional particle-in-cell simulations using preformed plasma density profiles from hydrodynamic modeling which show that the >100 Gbar light pressure compresses the preformed plasma and dries a shock into the solid, heating a thin layer.

• Research Organization: Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: FC52-08NA28302
• OSTI ID: 927580
• Report Number(s): DE/NA/28302-818; PRLTAO; 2007-60; 1791; TRN: US0804788
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Vol. 100, Issue 16; ISSN 0031-9007
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
LASER-RADIATION HEATING
NICKEL
MOLYBDENUM
VANADIUM
HYDRODYNAMICS
PLASMA DENSITY
TEMPERATURE GRADIENTS
X-RAY SPECTROSCOPY