Laser-produced annular plasmas

Journal Article · Thu Jun 15 04:00:00 EDT 2006 · Review of Scientific Instruments

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2206773· OSTI ID:20853290

Veloso, F; Chuaqui, H; Aliaga-Rossel, R; Favre, M; Mitchell, I H; Wyndham, E ^[1]

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1. Departamento de Fisica, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Vicuna Mackenna 4860 Macul, Santiago 782-0436 (Chile)

A new technique is presented for the formation of annular plasmas on a metal surface with a high-power laser using a combination of axicon and converging lenses. The annular plasma formed on a titanium target in a chamber of hydrogen gas was investigated using schlieren imaging and Mach Zehnder interferometry. Expansion of the plasma was shown to be anisotropic with velocities of {approx}10{sup 3}-10{sup 4} m/s. Electron densities of 10{sup 18} cm{sup -3} were measured with radial profiles that confirm the presence of a hollow structure. The interferometric observations also show the presence of an inward shock wave traveling to the center of the annular plasma, which compresses the background neutrals, reaching a density around 18 times initial gas density, at 95 ns after the initial annular plasma is produced.

• OSTI ID: 20853290
• Journal Information: Review of Scientific Instruments, Journal Name: Review of Scientific Instruments Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 77; ISSN 0034-6748; ISSN RSINAK
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ANISOTROPY
ELECTRON DENSITY
HYDROGEN
INTERFEROMETRY
LASERS
PLASMA
PLASMA DENSITY
PLASMA DIAGNOSTICS
PLASMA HEATING
PLASMA PRODUCTION
SHOCK WAVES
SURFACES
TITANIUM