Characterization of Space and Time Resolved Electron Density in the Photoionized Plasma Gas Cell Experiment at Z

ORAL

Abstract

The photoionized plasma gas cell experiment is an established platform to make at-parameter (ξ>>1 ergs cm s-1) measurements of plasma properties for benchmarking astrophysical modeling codes. The experiments are performed on the Z Machine at Sandia National Labs where a cell filled with neon gas is driven by the broadband x-ray flux produced by a wire array z-pinch implosion. The recent fielding of the photonic Doppler velocimetry (PDV) diagnostic for measuring space- and time-resolved electron density1 has confirmed the existence of a hydrodynamically unperturbed photoionized plasma that is driven only by radiation2. We model the experiment with the 1D radiation hydrodynamics code HELIOS-CR and present a comparison of experimental and simulation electron density time histories to assess the qualitative and quantitative accuracy of the simulation predictions. The results suggest that the experiments qualitatively agree with the simulations, although there are discrepancies in the time evolution and spatial distribution of the electron density. 1K. J. Swanson et al RSI 93, 043502 (2022), 2G.S. Jaar et al HEDP (submitted, 2023).

*This work is sponsored in part by the US DOE NNSA under Grant No. DE-NA0004038, the WCAPP under US DOE Cooperative Agreement No. DE-NA0003843, and the Z Facility Fundamental Science Program of SNL. SNL is managed and operated by NTESS under DOE NNSA contract DE-NA0003525.

Publication: G.S. Jaar, K.J. Swanson, R.C. Mancini, A.L. Astanovitskiy, D.C. Mayes, "Development of Spatially and Temporally Resolved Electron Density Measurements for the Assessment of Radiation Hydrodynamics Simulations of Laboratory X-Ray Photoionized Plasmas", manuscript submitted to High Energy Density Physics (2023).

Presenters

  • Georges S Jaar

    • University of Nevada, Reno

Authors

  • Georges S Jaar

    • University of Nevada, Reno
  • Kyle J Swanson

    • University of Nevada, Reno
  • Roberto C Mancini

    • University of Nevada, Reno
  • Daniel C Mayes

    • University of Texas at Austin