PALS laser-driven radiative jets for astrophysical and ICF applications
- Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion, 23 Hery St., 00-908 Warsaw (Poland)
- Centre Lasers Intenses et Applications, University Bordeaux 1-CNRS-CEA, Talence (France)
- Institute of Physics AS CR, Na Slovance 2, 182 21 Prague 8 (Czech Republic)
- Institute of Plasma Physics AS CR, Za Slovankou 3, 182 00 Prague 8 (Czech Republic)
- Czech Technical University, FNSPE, Brehova 7, 115 19 Prague 1 (Czech Republic)
- Warsaw University of Technology, ICS, 15/19 Nowowiejska St., 00-665 Warsaw (Poland)
High speed, well-collimated plasma jets were generated in the interaction of defocused single laser beam with planar, massive Cu target. The experiment was carried out at the iodine laser facility (Prague Asterix Laser System--PALS) using the third harmonic beam (0.438 {mu}m) with a pulse duration of 250 ps (FWHM) and an energy of 100 J. The information about geometry of plasma expansion, plasma dynamics and electron density were obtained by means of a 3-frame interferometric system. The plasma jet parameters reach the following values: the velocity up to 7x10{sup 7} cm/s, the internal Mach number greater than 10 and the electron density above 10{sup 19} cm{sup -3}. The jet characteristics are appropriate for the astrophysical and ICF applications. To ensure the interaction of this jet with gas or plasma as an ambient medium, a high-pressure supersonic gas nozzle was used, which created a cylindrical column of Ar or He. The results of first experiments dedicated to studies of collision of such a jet with a gas cloud are also presented. They clearly show the effect of shocks formation in ambient gases (He and Ar) due to the jet action. In the case of He the shock waves have usually a conical shape with a thickness of 1-1.5 mm, whereas in the case of Ar, the shock wave configuration is more complex and its thickness is less than 1 mm.
- OSTI ID:
- 21136933
- Journal Information:
- AIP Conference Proceedings, Vol. 993, Issue 1; Conference: PLASMA 2007: International conference on research and applications of plasmas; 4. German-Polish conference on plasma diagnostics for fusion and applications; 6. French-Polish seminar on thermal plasma in space and laboratory, Greifswald (Germany), 16-19 Oct 2007; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.2909137; (c) 2008 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0094-243X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Influence of the focal point position on the properties of a laser-produced plasma
Optical Investigations of Powerful Laser Actions on Massive and Flyer Targets