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Title: Impact of the Langdon effect on crossed-beam energy transfer

Journal Article · · Nature Physics

The prediction that laser plasma heating distorts the electron distribution function away from Maxwellian and towards a super-Gaussian distribution dates back four decades. In conditions relevant to inertial confinement fusion, yet, no direct evidence of this so-called “Langdon effect” has previously been observed. Here, measurements of the spatially and temporally resolved Thomson scattering spectrum indicate the presence of super-Gaussian electron distribution functions that are consistent with existing theory. In such plasmas, ion acoustic wave frequencies increase monotonically with the super-Gaussian exponent. Our findings show that the measured power transfer between crossed laser beams mediated by ion acoustic waves requires a model that accounts for the non-Maxwellian electron distribution function, whereas the standard Maxwellian calculations overpredict power transfer over a wide region of parameter space. Including this effect is expected to improve the predictive capability of crossed-beam energy transfer modeling at the National Ignition Facility and may restore a larger operable design space for inertial confinement fusion experiments. Furthermore, this is expected to motivate further inquiry in other areas impacted by non-Maxwellian electron distribution functions, such as laser absorption, heat transport, and x-ray spectroscopy.

Research Organization:
Univ. of Rochester, NY (United States). Lab. for Laser Energetics; Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
Grant/Contract Number:
NA0003856; AC52-07NA27344
OSTI ID:
1598486
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1755832
Report Number(s):
2019-67; 1534; 2492; LLNL-JRNL-816067; 2019-67, 1534, 2492; TRN: US2103286
Journal Information:
Nature Physics, Vol. 16, Issue 2; ISSN 1745-2473
Publisher:
Nature Publishing Group (NPG)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 36 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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