An experimental investigation on X-ray emission from laser-produced plasmas is presented and the properties of such an emission of interest for application purposes are examined. Plasmas were generated by focusing 1 μm, 3 ns Nd laser pulses onto Al and Cu targets at an intensity of 1013 W/cm2. The temporal evolution of the emission and its spectral features were investigated by using an X-ray streak-camera and an X-ray photodiode. In the case of Cu targets, the analysis of the emission showed two spectral components. The main component was centered at ≈ 1.2 keV and a minor component, whose intensity was measured to be 10-3 of the previous component, was observed at ≈7 keV. The X-ray conversion efficiency, in the investigated spectral region, was measured to be 1% for Cu targets and 0.3% for Al targets.

It is expected (Hora & Handel 1987) that the energy spectra of electrons emitted from laserirradiated atoms in low-density gases would be fundamentally different for laser intensities above and below the threshold of a correspondence principle. Below such a threshold, the emission is a quantum mechanical interaction while, in contrast, above the threshold it is a classical process. Both of our earlier experiments (Boreham & Hora 1979; Boreham & Luther-Davies 1979) and those of several others, including some very recent results (Monot et al. 1993) confirm—after some controversy—the existence of such a correspondence principle. Details are discussed.

Correlated stopping of N ion debris flowing at same velocity in a lithium target is worked out from the Basbas-Ritchie model of 2-cluster stopping in degenerate electron jellium. A very large energy loss enhancement is demonstrated. It is strongly modulated by the ions' topological arrangement. Relevance to inertial fusion driven by intense cluster ion beam is stressed.

The recombination X-ray laser scheme is considered in the case of recombining plasmas produced by laser pulses which are short to such a degree that the condition for inversion in X-ray transitions of the ions is essentially time-dependent. Using an analytic four-level model, applicable for H-like and Li-like ions, we calculate the inversion conditions for the 4→3, 3→2, and 2→l transitions in H-like ions as functions of time. As we have already shown, a drastic change occurs, especially for the 3→2 transition. To achieve inversion, for short times the free-electron density as a function of the temperature Te, Neinv(Te), must be greater than a critical density Nesh (Te), Neinv(Te) > Nesh(Te), whereas for longer times in the quasi-steady state, Neinv(Te) must be smaller than a critical density Neqv(Te), Neinv(Te) < Nequ(Te). We also consider the evolution of the inversion condition in the intermediate time domain. The time duration of the existence of the short-time 3→2 inversion condition–in the time interval from the initial state with unoccupied lower levels to the quasi-steady state—is in the main determined by t α 1/A21; for example, one has t ≈ 730 fs for Na.

In a plasma produced in particular by optical-field ionization, during the initial cascade populating the excited levels, an inversion may be possible in the 2→1 resonance line transition in the transient regime. The inversion in this transition is of interest especially because of the arising possibility to achieve X-ray gain at shorter wavelengths. In the transient case, an inversion occurs for a small time depending on the temperature Te and the density N.

In addition, we discuss generally the time behavior of the population densities (especially of N3) and show that an optimal population density occurs, on the one hand, for very short times (fs region, depending on Z). On the other hand, however, the optimal (ion-)density-temperature relation is determined via a time of the optimal population density required with regard to the experimental conditions.

A vertical dispersion variant of the Johann spectrometer has been used to record the highresolution X-ray spectra of the chlorine He-like resonance line group emitted from lowradiance plasma. The emission profiles were measured at two observation angles and decomposed into single spectral lines by using a fit based on the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm. The results of computerized analysis of the one-dimensional (1-D) spatially resolved spectra were used to evaluate the distribution of the main plasma parameters. The electron temperature gradient 7.5·104 eV cm-1 was computed by modeling the measured spectra with the collisional-radiative package RATION. The blowoff maximum velocities 4.2–6.1·107 cm s-1 and the velocity gradients 0.9–1.6·109 s-1 were determined from the Doppler shifts of individual spectral lines within their different spatial extent.

Focusing of heavy-ion beams is an important issue for ion beam-driven inertial confinement fusion. For the experimental program to investigate matter at high energy densities at GSI, the application of a plasma lens has attractive features compared to standard quadrupole lenses. A plasma lens using a wall-stabilized discharge has been systematically investigated and optimized for this purpose. Different lenses were tested in several runs at the GSI linear accelerator UNILAC and at the SIS-synchrotron. A remarkably high accuracy and reproducibility of the focusing were found. The focal spot size was mainly limited by the beam emittance. A summary of experimental results and important limitations of the focal spot size is given.

A new concept of hot plasma confinement in a miniature magnetic bottle induced by circularly polarized laser light is suggested. Magnetic fields generated by circularly polarized laser light may be of the order of megagauss. In this configuration the circularly polarized laser light is used to obtain confinement of a plasma contained in a good conductor vessel. The poloidal magnetic field induced by the circularly polarized laser and the efficiency of laser absorption by the plasma are calculated. The confinement in this scheme is supported by the magnetic forces. The Lawson criterion for a DT plasma might be achieved for number density n = 5.1021 cm-3 and confinement time τ = 20 ns. The laser and plasma parameters required to obtain an energetic gain are calculated.

The nonlinear stage in the growth of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability in three dimensions (3D) is studied using a 3D multimaterial hydrodynamic code. The growth of a single classical 3D square and rectangular modes is compared to the growth in planar and cylindrical geometries and found to be close to the corresponding cylindrical mode, which is in agreement with a new Layzer-type model for 3D bubble growth. The Atwood number effect on the final shape of the instability is demonstrated. Calculations in spherical geometry of the late deceleration stage of a typical ICF pellet have been performed. The different late time shapes obtained are shown to be a result of the initial conditions and the high Atwood number. Finally, preliminary results of calculations of two-mode coupling and random perturbations growth in 3D are presented.

In this paper we present measurements of energy transport in hot, high-density plasmas produced by picosecond laser interaction with solid targets. The propagation of the ablative heat wave was studied by using X-ray-ultraviolet (XUV) spectroscopy with picosecond temporal resolution. Measurements show that for laser intensities on target above 1016 W/cm2, strong inhibition of heat flux toward the cold target occurs. A detailed modelling of the experimental data is presented in which heat transport and absorption processes are taken into account self-consistently. Finally the role played by lateral transport and self-induced magnetic fields in our experiment is also discussed.

After the theory of dynamic double layers in laser-produced plasmas arrived at several significant results in agreement with measurement, including particle acceleration, a clarification was given to the paper by Bryant et al. (1992) negating such acceleration. The discrepancy seems to be in the definition of static double layers in contradiction with dynamic double layers that are created in laser-induced plasma. We present here new results on the acceleration of electrons in a laser-irradiated plasma by double layer mechanisms. A simple analytical example is given.

Kα satellite spectroscopy can be a valuable technique for diagnosing conditions in high energy density plasmas. Kα emission lines are produced in intense light ion beam plasma interaction experiments as 2p electrons fill partially open Is shells created by the ion beam. In this paper, we present results from collisional-radiative equilibrium (CRE) calculations which show how Kα emission spectroscopy can be used to determine target plasma conditions in intense lithium beam experiments on Particle Beam Fusion Accelerator-II (PBFAII) at Sandia National Laboratories. In these experiments, 8–10 MeV lithium beams with intensities of 1–2 TW/cm2 irradiate planar multilayer targets containing a thin Al tracer. Kα emission spectra are measured using an X-ray crystal spectrometer with a resolution of λ/∆λ = 1200. The spectra are analyzed using a CRE model in which multilevel (NL ∼ 103) statistical equilibrium equations are solved self-consistently with the radiation field and beam properties to determine atomic level populations. Atomic level-dependent fluorescence yields and ion-impact ionization cross sections are used in computing the emission spectra. We present results showing the sensitivity of the Kα emission spectrum to temperature and density of the Al tracer. We also discuss the dependence of measured spectra on the X-ray crystal spectral resolution, and how additional diagnostic information could be obtained using multiple tracers of similar atomic number.

An ICF plant is designed to use nuclear-driven flashlamp-pumped solid-state lasers as fusion drivers. It is proposed to use a separated fission reactor with aerosol fuel to drive alkali metal excimer flashlamps as the pumping source for solid-state lasers. The first observation of nuclear-excited sodium excimer emission at 436 nm in a TRIGA reactor with 815 Torr of He-3 and 60 Torr of sodium vapor (at T = 924 K) is reported. The experiment demonstrates the feasibility of a nuclear-driven alkali metal excimer lamp. The compatibility of alkali metal excimers with different laser crystals is evaluated for driver efficiency. High overall laser efficiency ensures large fractional output power extraction from nuclear fusion by this plant. The suitability of laser crystals for the ICF plant is also presented.

Stimulated Raman scattering driven by intense subpicosecond laser drivers is analyzed, in particular, the effects of the pulse shape and relativity on the instability and its characteristic spectra. The analysis is carried out in the pulse group velocity frame (Lorentz transformed) where growth rates for backscattering are decreased relative to their values when analyzed in the laboratory frame, while forward-scattered growth rates have greatly enhanced values. A range of intensities and densities is considered, appropriate to recent experiments, which ranges from strongly coupled scattering at high densities (even for forwardscattering) to stimulated Compton scattering regimes for backscattering and relativistically trapped forwardscattering at low densities. The inhomogeneities in intensity and density cause mode conversion between waves inside and outside the pulse. This can be at a modest level, as for backscattering, or extreme as in the case of forwardscattering when the Raman scattered light can be trapped within the laser pulse. The consequent feedback between modes within the pulse allows solutions, absolutely growing in the pulse frame, to be found.

An analytic model of ion beam driven hohlraums is presented which is used to determine the optimal hohlraum design parameters. It is shown that the radiation intensity within the hohlraum can exceed the average ion intensity driving the hohlraum. This “greenhouse effect” significantly lowers ion beam intensity requirements for driving a fusion microexplosion.

This paper presents the results of theoretical and experimental studies on high-pressure He-Cd and He-Zn lasers. It is shown that using the hard ionizer approximation makes it possible to readily and efficiently simulate the plasma chemical processes that occur in the active media of high-pressure lasers pumped by electron and ion beams as well as by nuclear reaction products in electron-beam experiments. Laser oscillation was achieved at λ = 325, 441.6, 533.7, and 537.8 nm for the cadmium ion and at λ = 610.3 nm for the zinc ion.

The Hartree-Fock theory of fluctuations leading to simple formulae for configuration probabilities is used in a Detailed Configuration Accounting calculation of opacity in the case of an iron plasma. A direct Detailed Term Accounting method is also applied. The correlations of subshell occupation numbers, which are accounted for in the HF theory, show small effect on the theoretical spectrum corresponding to conditions of a recent measurement.

Some results of an experimental study of the hard X rays emitted from a 15-kV, 3-kJ plasma focus operated in argon are reported. The temporal evolution of the hard X rays detected by a plastic scintillator-photomultiplier detector and the voltage across the focus tube measured by a resistive voltage divider are simultaneously recorded on a two-channel digitizing oscilloscope. Metal absorbers of various thicknesses are used to provide some indications of the energies of the X rays. When the time delay of the detector system with respect to the anode voltage is taken into account, the hard X rays are observed to be emitted about 15 ns before the peak of the anode voltage and last for about 100 ns. There are two periods of emission, the X rays emitted in the first period being more intense, more energetic, and more directional than the X rays emitted in the second period. The X rays are attributed to the bombardment of the anode by energetic electrons generated in the pinch and the disruption phases of the focus.

The physics of the formation of cryogenic fuel layers with various internal structures has been studied in regard to the development of promising layering techniques for modern inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments. The investigations have been made with inertial confinement fusion target (ICF targets) and in a target modeling system (TMS) with the nonisochoric process of cryogenic layer formation. The results indicate that the solidlayer structure in TMS differs essentially from that obtained in ICF targets. The thermal history of a fuel layer at separation into the condensed and vapor phases is found to depend upon whether the initial gas density is more, less, or equal to the critical value for a given fuel material. The issue on the fuel-layer fabrication in the form of a long-living quasiamorphouslayer is considered. A new low-temperature method to homogenize a polycrystalline cryogenic layer has been proposed and examined. The operational temperature was 4.2 K. The time to achieve the complete homogeneity of solid hydrogen was 150 s. No limitation, with respect to the thickness of a cryogenic layer, was found. The critical target is suggested as a new type of an ICF target.