Influence of Episodic Mass Ejection on Hydrodynamic Jet Evolution

The Laboratory for Laser Energetics OMEGA laser has been used to create plasma jets formed by two mass ejections. Two 1-ns laser pulses, separated by 10 ns, launched strong shocks into a 220-\textit{$\mu $}m-thick, mid-$Z$ metal plug. The first laser pulse consisted of three laser beams and the second pulse four beams. Material unloading from the back of the plug traveled 300 \textit{$\mu $}m through a high-$Z$ pipe and launched a jet into a low-$Z$ foam. Control experiments were performed with single mass ejections created by either three or seven laser beams. All experimental results were compared to 1-D and 2-D simulations. This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Inertial Confinement Fusion under Cooperative Agreement No. DE-FC52-92SF19460.