Thomson Scattering at FLASH - Status Report

The basic idea is to implement Thomson scattering with free electron laser (FEL) radiation at near-solid density plasmas as a diagnostic method which allows the determination of plasma temperatures and densities in the warm dense matter (WDM) regime (free electron density of n{sub e} = 10{sup 21}-10{sup 26} cm{sup -3} with temperatures of several eV). The WDM regime [1] at near-solid density (n{sub e} = 10{sup 21}-10{sup 22} cm{sup -3}) is of special interest because, it is where the transition from an ideal plasma to a degenerate, strongly coupled plasma occurs. A systematic understanding of this largely unknown WDM domain is crucial for the modeling and understanding of contemporary plasma experiments, like laser shock-wave or Z-pinch experiments as well as for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments as the plasma evolution follows its path through this domain

Coherent Electronic Wave Packet Motion in C-60 Controlled by the Waveform and Polarization of Few-Cycle Laser Fields

Strong laser fields can be used to trigger an ultrafast molecular response that involves electronic excitation and ionization dynamics. Here, we report on the experimental control of the spatial localization of the electronic excitation in the C-60 fullerene exerted by an intense few-cycle (4 fs) pulse at 720 nm. The control is achieved by tailoring the carrier-envelope phase and the polarization of the laser pulse. We find that the maxima and minima of the photoemission-asymmetry parameter along the laser-polarization axis are synchronized with the localization of the coherent electronic wave packet at around the time of ionization.open113033sciescopu

Ultrasfast Dynamics in Dense Hydrogen Explored at Flash

The short pulse duration and high intensity of the FLASH (Free-electron LASer in Hamburg) allows us to generate and probe homogeneous warm dense non-equilibrium hydrogen within a single extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light pulse. By analyzing the spectrum of the 13.5 nm Thomson scattered light we determine the plasma temperature and density. We find that classical models of this interaction are in good agreement with our dense plasma conditions. In a FEL-pump FEL-probe experiment droplets of liquid hydrogen and their scattering behavior for different pump-probe setups were observed under 20{sup o} and 90{sup o}. We find that the scattering behavior of the scattered intensity depends on the scattering angle

Formation of coherent rotational wavepackets in small molecule-helium clusters using impulsive alignment

We show that rotational line spectra of molecular clusters with near zero permanent dipole moments can be observed using impulsive alignment. Aligned rotational wavepackets were generated by non-resonant interaction with intense femtosecond laser pump pulses and then probed using Coulomb explosion by a second, timedelayed femtosecond laser pulse. By means of a Fourier transform a rich spectrum of rotational eigenstates was derived. For the smallest cluster, C2H2–He, we were able to establish essentially all rotational eigenstates up to the dissociation threshold on the basis of theoretical level predictions. The C2H2–He complex is found to exhibit distinct features of large amplitude motion and very early onset of free internal rotor energy level structure

Electronic Structure of an XUV Photogenerated Solid-Density Aluminum Plasma

By use of high intensity XUV radiation from the FLASH free-electron laser at DESY, we have created highly excited exotic states of matter in solid-density aluminum samples. The XUV intensity is sufficiently high to excite an inner-shell electron from a large fraction of the atoms in the focal region. We show that soft-x-ray emission spectroscopy measurements reveal the electronic temperature and density of this highly excited system immediately after the excitation pulse, with detailed calculations of the electronic structure, based on finite-temperature density functional theory, in good agreement with the experimental results