Developing solid state experiments on the Nova laser
An x-ray drive has been developed to shock compress metal foils in the solid state using an internally shielded hohlraum with a high contrast shaped pulse from the Nova laser. The drive has been characterized and hydrodynamics experiments designed to study growth of the Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) instability in Cu foils at 3 Mbar peak pressures in the plastic flow regime have been started. Pre-imposed modulations with an initial wavelength of 20-50 {micro}m, and amplitudes of 1.0-2.5 {micro}m show growth consistent with simulations. In the Nova experiments, the fluid and solid states are expected to behave similarly for Cu. An analytic stability analysis is used to motivate an experimental design with an Al foil where the effects of material strength on the RT growth are significantly enhanced. The conditions reached in the metal foils at peak compression are similar to those predicted at the core of the earth.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Defense Programs (DP) (US)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 11330
- Report Number(s):
- UCRL-JC-131851; DP0210000; DP0210000; TRN: AH200128%%762
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Second International Workshop on Laboratory Astrophysics with Intense Lasers, Tucson, AZ (US), 03/19/1998--03/21/1998; Other Information: PBD: 6 Aug 1999
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Developing Solid-State Experiments on the Nova Laser
Nova Experiments Examining Raleigh-Taylor Instability in Materials with Strength