Spaced resolved analysis of suprathermal electrons in dense plasma

Abstract

The investigation of the hot electron fraction is a crucial topic for high energy density laser driven plasmas: first, energy losses and radiative properties depend strongly on the hot electron fraction and, second, in ICF hohlraums suprathermal electrons preheat the D-T-capsule and seriously reduce the fusion performance. In the present work we present our first experimental and theoretical studies to analyze single shot space resolved hot electron fractions inside dense plasmas via optically thin X-ray line transitions from autoionizing states. The benchmark experiment has been carried out at an X-pinch in order to create a dense, localized plasma with a well defined symmetry axis of hot electron propagation. Simultaneous high spatial and spectral resolution in the X-ray spectral range has been obtained with a spherically bent quartz Bragg crystal. The high performance of the X-ray diagnostics allowed to identify space resolved hot electron fractions via the X-ray spectral distribution of multiple excited states