Micron-scale High Energy Density Matter Generated by Relativistic Laser-Solid Interactions

ORAL

Abstract

Short-pulse, laser-solid interactions provide a unique platform for the generation and study of high-energy-density matter. Here, we present the first demonstration of near solid-density, micron-scale plasmas uniformly heated to keV temperatures. Experiments conducted using the relativistic 400 nm ALEPH laser at Colorado State University, front- and rear-side hard X-ray spectrometers were fielded to measure K-shell emission from thin copper and buried layer targets, enabling detailed diagnosis of second-harmonic laser heating of these materials. Spectral analysis of x-ray emission reveals uniform heating up to 3.0 keV over 1 μm depths. Collisional-radiative modelling and 3D collisional PIC simulations were in good agreement with experimental data on the depth and temperatures of these laser-produced plasmas. The significant bulk heating is attributed to MeV hot electrons that become trapped and undergo refluxing within the target sheath fields. These homogeneous, solid-density, multi-keV plasmas were used to examine ionization potential depression atomic models.

*This work was supported by the U.S. DOE Office of Science, Fusion Energy Sciences and Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLNS Subcontract B643845, DOE/NNSA DEAC52), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (Grant No. RGPIN-2021-04373), the LaserNetUS initiative at Colorado State University (Contracts No. DE-SC- 0019076 and No. DE-SC0021246), and the National Science Foundation (CAREER: National Science Foundation under Grant No. PHY-1753165, and STROBE: A National Science Foundation Science & Technology Center under Grant No. DMR-1548924). J. J. R. and V. N. S. acknowledge support of Department of Defense Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship ONR Grant No. N000142012842. S.B.H. was supported by SNL's LDRD program, Project No. 218456. K. A. F. was supported by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development pro- gram of Los Alamos National Laboratory under Project No. 20180040DR.

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Publication: Beier, N. F., et al. "Homogeneous, micron-scale high-energy-density matter generated by relativistic laser-solid interactions." Physical Review Letters 129.13 (2022): 135001.

Presenters

  • Amina E Hussein

    • University of Alberta, Canada
    • Univ of Alberta

Authors

  • Amina E Hussein

    • University of Alberta, Canada
    • Univ of Alberta

  • Nick F Beier

    • University of Alberta

  • Hunter Allison

    • University of California, Irvine

  • Philip C Efthimion

    • Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory

  • Kirk A Flippo

    • Los Alamos Natl Lab

  • Lan Gao

    • PPPL
    • Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory

  • Stephanie B Hansen

    • Sandia National Laboratories

  • Kenneth W Hill

    • PPPL
    • Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory

  • Reed C Hollinger

    • Colorado State University

  • Mahek Logantha

    • University of California, Irvine

  • Yasmeen Musthafa

    • TAE Technologies
    • TAE Technologies, Inc.

  • Ryan Nedbailo

    • Colorado State University
    • University of Texas

  • Vigneshvar Senthilkumaran

    • University of Alberta

  • Ronnie L Shepherd

    • Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab

  • slava shlyaptsev

    • Colorado State University

  • Huanyu Song

    • Tianjin University

  • Shoujun Wang

    • Colorado State University

  • Franklin J Dollar

    • University of California, Irvine

  • Jorge J Rocca

    • Colorado State University
    • XUV lasers and Colorado State University