Laser irradiation of parylene disks with a 1.06 mumum laser

Parylene disks supported on glass stalks were irradiated with 1.06 $mu$m wavelength laser light pulses focused to flux intensities in the range from 10$sup 15$ to 10$sup 17$ W/cm$sup 2$. According to photodiode measurements the fraction of laser light absorbed, 25 to 50 percent, increased slightly as the laser intensity was increased. However, box calorimeter measurements implied that the fraction absorbed was approximately 30 percent and insensitive to irradiation intensity. Some x-ray spectra are discussed. (MOW

Narrative inquiry into (re)imagining alternative schools: a case study of Kevin Gonzales.

Although there are many alternative schools that strive for the successful education for their students, negative images of alternative schools persist. While some alternative schools are viewed as “idealistic havens,” many are viewed as “dumping grounds,” or “juvenile detention centers.” Employing narrative inquiry, this article interrogates how a student, Kevin Gonzales, experiences his alternative education and raises questions about the role of alternative schools. Kevin Gonzales’s story is presented in a literary form of biographical journal to provide a “metaphoric loft” that helps us imagine other students like Kevin. This, in turn, provokes us to examine our current educational practice, and to (re)imagine ways in which alternative education can provide the best possible educational experiences for disenfranchised students who are increasingly underserved by the public education system

Laser-plasma instabilities in large plasmas irradiated at 1. 06. mu. m and the wavelength scaling of the absorption, hot-electron production, ablation pressure for 1. 06-, 0. 53-, and 0. 35-. mu. m light

Plasmas were created by exploding 7000 A thick CH foils at the irradiation conditions: 1.064 ..mu..m, 3 kJ, 2.5 x 10/sup 15/ W/cm/sup 2/, 900 ps FWHM, 400 ..mu..m spot diameter. Ten percent of the laser energy appeared as Raman light and 0.04% as 3..omega../sub 0//2 light. The 3..omega../sub 0//2 light and the 30-70 keV X rays occurred simultaneouly at t=-120/sup +50//sub -//sub 200/ psec and lasted only 300 psec FWHM. The foil was calculated to explode to n/sub c/4 at t=-300 psec. The spectrum and angular distribution of the Raman light were also measured. Time-resolved spectral measurements have been made in experiments with 5320 A laser light in a 600-900 psec FWHM pulse. The scaling of the 3..omega../sub 0//2 light with both the laser spot size and pulse length has been studied

Optical measurements of the. omega. /sub 0//2 and 3/2. omega. /sub 0/ light from 1. 064. mu. m-irradiated plasmas

The spectrum and absolute level of both the ..omega../sub 0//2 and 3/2..omega../sub 0/ light have been measured at Argus over a wide range of intensities, spot sizes and energies (3 to 500 joules at 700ps). We will also present measurements at Shiva in which the spectrum, time dependence, and angular distribution of the Raman-scattered light have been measured. As much as several percent in some of these experiments. A particularly interesting experiment was performed at Argus in which a 500A thick Formvar (CH) foil was irradiated with 90 joules in 700ps. The spot size was 200 ..mu..m with a diverging f/2 beam. A calorimeter measured 0.1 J/sr in Raman light in the backwards direction. Discrete InAs detectors looking at the amount of Raman light at 1.9 and 2.0 ..mu..m detected about as much in the forward direction as the backward direction

Methods for fabricating arrays of holes using interference lithography

Optical interference lithography offers a robust patterning technology capable of achieving high spatial resolution over extremely large field sizes ( {approx}1 m ). Here, we compare two different approaches for fabricating arrays of holes using interferometric techniques. We show that by applying an image reversal process to standard two-beam interference lithography, arrays of high aspect ratio holes can be generated. This process scales to submicron periods and allows holes as small as 0.1 micron to be patterned. Next, we present an analysis of the multiple-beam approach for patterning holes. We demonstrate that while the formation of higher contrast intensity patterns is possible by interfering four or more beams, the shape and modulation depth of such patterns are inherently sensitive to relative phase variations

Sources of hot electrons in laser-plasma interaction with emphasis on Raman and turbulence absorption

Heating targets with high power lasers results in a sizable fraction of the absorbed energy going into electrons of temperature much greater than thermal which can pre-heat the pellet core and accelerate fast ion blowoff which results in poor momentum transfer and hence poor compression efficiency. The present emphasis is to build lasers of higher frequency, ..omega../sub 0/, which at the same W/cm/sup 2/ results in more absorption into cooler electrons. Two physical reasons are that the laser can propagate to a higher electron density, n, infinity..omega../sub 0//sup 2/ resulting in more collisional inverse bremsstrahlung absorption proportional to n, and because the hot temperatures from some plasma absorption processes increase as the oscillatory velocity of an electron in the laser electric field v/sub 0//c = eE/(m/sub e/..omega../sub 0/). The heated electron temperatures from other plasma processes (Raman for example approx.(m/sub e//2)v/sup 2//sub phase/ and the higher laser frequency helps by increasing the competing collisional absorption and decreasing the Raman gain

Optical scatterng measurements from 1. 06. mu. m, and 0. 35. mu. m laser heated targets

Scattered light measurements have been obtained on Argus disk target experiments at 1.06 ..mu..m, 0.53 ..mu..m, and 0.35 ..mu..m laser wavelengths. We present backscatter measurements taken near the three laser wavelengths for SBS, and measurements of the three-halves and second harmonics taken during the two longer wavelength laser irradiations. The SBS measurements show the strong influence of the increased absorption at the shorter laser wavelengths. The spectra of the three-halves harmonic emissions are analyzed to provide a time averaged electron temperature at quarter critical density. Time resolved Raman scattering data are presented for gold and Be disks irradiated with up to 180 J of green light

ARGUS disk-target experiments at 1. 06. mu. m, 0. 53. mu. m, 0. 35. mu. m

We report on ARGUS wavelength scaling experiments on disk targets at 1.06 ..mu..m, 0.53 ..mu..m, and 0.35 ..mu..m. Measurements were made of absorption, stimulated Brillouin and Raman scattering, and 3/2 harmonic light