Simulations of Radiative Shock Experiments for Omega

Astrophysical systems in which radiation transport across a shock front contributes substantially to the properties and dynamics of the system may be modeled in laboratory experiments under high-energy-density conditions. Recent experiments on the Omega laser facility have launched drive disks of Be into shock tubes of Xe gas at atmospheric pressure to produce radiating shocks, which are then diagnosed for structure and density profile by x-ray pinhole radiography. A series of radiation-hydrodynamics simulations using the code HYDRA have been produced, exploring the predicted results of experiments of this type. The simulations will assist in our target design process and in choosing which experiments should be run to obtain maximum information of interest. This research was sponsored by the NNSA through DOE Research Grants DE-FG52-07NA28058, DE-FG52-04NA0064, and the NNSA Stewardship Science Graduate Fellowship.