Measurements of electron density and temperature in shock-compressed Be from x-ray Thomson scattering

X-ray Thomson scattering measurements have provided an insight into characterization of dense plasmas by determining electron temperature, density, and ionization state [1,2]. We have measured spectrally resolved 6 keV x-ray scattering spectra of shock-compressed matter created by counter-propagating shocks at the Omega laser facility. The spectra in non-collective scattering regime show Compton features that give evidence of Fermi-degenerate dense plasmas with a Fermi energy above 30 eV and temperatures of 10-15 eV. Detailed analysis in comparison with radiation-hydrodynamic modeling will be presented. [1] S. H. Glenzer \textit{et al}., Phys. Rev. Lett. 90, 175002 (2003); Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 065002 (2007). [2] H. J. Lee \textit{et al}., Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 115001 (2009). This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by University of California, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract No. DE-AC52-07NA27344 and supported by the National Laboratory User Facility program.