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Title: Quantitative assessment of fitting errors associated with streak camera noise in Thomson scattering data analysis

Journal Article · · Review of Scientific Instruments
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0083195 · OSTI ID:1861245

Thomson scattering measurements in high energy density experiments are often recorded using optical streak cameras. In the low-signal regime, noise introduced by the streak camera can become an important and sometimes the dominant source of measurement uncertainty. In this paper, we present a formal method of accounting for the presence of streak camera noise in our measurements. We present a phenomenological description of the noise generation mechanisms and present a statistical model that may be used to construct the covariance matrix associated with a given measurement. This model is benchmarked against simulations of streak camera images. We demonstrate how this covariance may then be used to weight fitting of the data and provide quantitative assessments of the uncertainty in the fitting parameters determined by the best fit to the data and build confidence in the ability to make statistically significant measurements in the low-signal regime, where spatial correlations in the noise become apparent. These methods will have general applicability to other measurements made using optical streak cameras.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-07NA27344
OSTI ID:
1861245
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1860969
Report Number(s):
LLNL-JRNL-830388; 1046867
Journal Information:
Review of Scientific Instruments, Journal Name: Review of Scientific Instruments Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 93; ISSN 0034-6748
Publisher:
American Institute of Physics (AIP)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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