565 research outputs found
influence of a laser profile in impedance mismatch techniques applied to carbon eos measurement
AbstractWe present a recent numerical analysis of impedance mismatch technique applied to carbon equation of state measurements. We consider high-power laser pulses with a Gaussian temporal profile of different durations. We show that for the laser intensity () and the target design considered in this paper we need to have laser pulses with rise-time less than 150 ps
Experimental results on advanced inertial fusion schemes obtained within the HiPER project
This paper presents de results of experiments conducted within the Work Package 10 (fusion experimental programme) of the HiPER project. The aim of these experiments was to study the physics relevant for advanced ignition schemes for inertial confinement fusion, i.e. the fast ignition and the shock ignition. Such schemes allow to achieve a higher
fusion gain compared to the indirect drive approach adopted in the National Ignition Facility in United States, which is
important for the future inertial fusion energy reactors and for realising the inertial fusion with smaller facilitie
Enhanced relativistic-electron beam collimation using two consecutive laser pulses
The double laser pulse approach to relativistic electron beam (REB)
collimation has been investigated at the LULI-ELFIE facility. In this scheme,
the magnetic field generated by the first laser-driven REB is used to guide a
second delayed REB. We show how electron beam collimation can be controlled by
properly adjusting laser parameters. By changing the ratio of focus size and
the delay time between the two pulses we found a maximum of electron beam
collimation clearly dependent on the focal spot size ratio of the two laser
pulses and related to the magnetic field dynamics. Cu-K alpha and CTR imaging
diagnostics were implemented to evaluate the collimation effects on the
respectively low energy ( MeV) components of the
REB
Effects of laser prepulses on laser-induced proton generation
Low-intensity laser prepulses (<10(13) W cm(-2), nanosecond duration) are a major issue in experiments on laser-induced generation of protons, often limiting the performances of proton sources produced by high-intensity lasers (approximate to 10(19) W cm(-2), picosecond or femtosecond duration). Depending on the intensity regime, several effects may be associated with the prepulse, some of which are discussed in this paper: (i) destruction of thin foil targets by the shock generated by the laser prepulse; (ii) creation of preplasma on the target front side affecting laser absorption; (iii) deformation of the target rear side; and (iv) whole displacement of thin foil targets affecting the focusing condition. In particular, we show that under oblique high-intensity irradiation and for low prepulse intensities, the proton beam is directed away from the target normal. Deviation is towards the laser forward direction, with an angle that increases with the level and duration of the ASE pedestal. Also, for a given laser pulse, the beam deviation increases with proton energy. The observations are discussed in terms of target normal sheath acceleration, in combination with a laser-controllable shock wave locally deforming the target surface
Quantitative phase contrast imaging of a shock-wave with a laser-plasma based X-ray source
X-ray phase contrast imaging (XPCI) is more sensitive to density variations than X-ray absorption radiography, which is a crucial advantage when imaging weakly-absorbing, low-Z materials, or steep density gradients in matter under extreme conditions. Here, we describe the application of a polychromatic X-ray laser-plasma source (duration ~0.5 ps, photon energy >1 keV) to the study of a laser-driven shock travelling in plastic material. The XPCI technique allows for a clear identification of the shock front as well as of small-scale features present during the interaction. Quantitative analysis of the compressed object is achieved using a density map reconstructed from the experimental data
Time evolution of stimulated Raman scattering and two-plasmon decay at laser intensities relevant for shock ignition in a hot plasma
Laser–plasma interaction (LPI) at intensities 1015–1016 W cm2 is dominated by parametric instabilities which can be
responsible for a significant amount of non-collisional absorption and generate large fluxes of high-energy nonthermal
electrons. Such a regime is of paramount importance for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) and in particular for the
shock ignition scheme. In this paper we report on an experiment carried out at the Prague Asterix Laser System (PALS)
facility to investigate the extent and time history of stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) and two-plasmon decay (TPD)
instabilities, driven by the interaction of an infrared laser pulse at an intensity 1:2 1016 W cm2 with a 100 mm
scalelength plasma produced from irradiation of a flat plastic target. The laser pulse duration (300 ps) and the high
value of plasma temperature (4 keV) expected from hydrodynamic simulations make these results interesting for a
deeper understanding of LPI in shock ignition conditions. Experimental results show that absolute TPD/SRS, driven at
a quarter of the critical density, and convective SRS, driven at lower plasma densities, are well separated in time, with
absolute instabilities driven at early times of interaction and convective backward SRS emerging at the laser peak and
persisting all over the tail of the pulse. Side-scattering SRS, driven at low plasma densities, is also clearly observed.
Experimental results are compared to fully kinetic large-scale, two-dimensional simulations. Particle-in-cell results,
beyond reproducing the framework delineated by the experimental measurements, reveal the importance of filamentation
instability in ruling the onset of SRS and stimulated Brillouin scattering instabilities and confirm the crucial role of
collisionless absorption in the LPI energy balance
Multi-GeV Electron Spectrometer
The advance in laser plasma acceleration techniques pushes the regime of the
resulting accelerated particles to higher energies and intensities. In
particular the upcoming experiments with the FLAME laser at LNF will enter the
GeV regime with almost 1pC of electrons. From the current status of
understanding of the acceleration mechanism, relatively large angular and
energy spreads are expected. There is therefore the need to develop a device
capable to measure the energy of electrons over three orders of magnitude (few
MeV to few GeV) under still unknown angular divergences. Within the PlasmonX
experiment at LNF a spectrometer is being constructed to perform these
measurements. It is made of an electro-magnet and a screen made of
scintillating fibers for the measurement of the trajectories of the particles.
The large range of operation, the huge number of particles and the need to
focus the divergence present unprecedented challenges in the design and
construction of such a device. We will present the design considerations for
this spectrometer and the first results from a prototype.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, submitted to NIM
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