Scaling Hot-Electron Generation to High-Power, Kilojoule-Class Laser-Solid Interactions

Journal Article · Fri Dec 03 00:00:00 EST 2010 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVLETT.105.235001· OSTI ID:21554446

Nilson, P M; Solodov, A A ^[1]; Myatt, J F; Theobald, W; Jaanimagi, P A; Gao, L; Stoeckl, C; Craxton, R S; Delettrez, J A; Yaakobi, B; Zuegel, J D; Kruschwitz, B E; Dorrer, C; Kelly, J H; Sangster, T C ^[2]; Akli, K U ^[3]; Patel, P K; Mackinnon, A J ^[4]; Betti, R; Meyerhofer, D D ^[1]

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1. Fusion Science Center for Extreme States of Matter and Fast Ignition Physics, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York (United States)
2. Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York (United States)
3. General Atomics, San Diego, California (United States)
4. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California (United States)

Thin-foil targets were irradiated with high-power (1{<=}P{sub L}{<=}210 TW), 10-ps pulses focused to intensities of I>10{sup 18} W/cm{sup 2} and studied with K-photon spectroscopy. Comparing the energy emitted in K photons to target-heating calculations shows a laser-energy-coupling efficiency to hot electrons of {eta}{sub L-e}=20{+-}10%. Time-resolved x-ray emission measurements suggest that laser energy is coupled to hot electrons over the entire duration of the incident laser drive. Comparison of the K-photon emission data to previous data at similar laser intensities shows that {eta}{sub L-e} is independent of laser-pulse duration from 1{<=}{tau}{sub p}{<=}10 ps.

• OSTI ID: 21554446
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Vol. 105, Issue 23; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.105.235001; (c) 2010 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 0031-9007
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
COUPLING
EFFICIENCY
ELECTRONS
FOILS
HEATING
INTERACTIONS
LASERS
PHOTON EMISSION
PHOTONS
PULSES
SCALING
SOLIDS
SPECTROSCOPY
TIME RESOLUTION
X RADIATION
BOSONS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
EMISSION
FERMIONS
IONIZING RADIATIONS
LEPTONS
MASSLESS PARTICLES
RADIATIONS
RESOLUTION
TIMING PROPERTIES