Experimental and LSP modeling study of pre-pulse effects on the laser-plasma interaction by using a 527 nm laser pulse

ORAL

Abstract

We describe a study motivated by the Fast Ignition approach to inertial confinement fusion of the generation in metal of hot electrons using intense laser pulses. Hot electrons are excited in an underdense plasma interface. This interaction involves relativistic effects and instabilities that can drastically alter the pulse and modify the ensuing laser-plasma interaction (LPI). In order to study the effect of this pre-plasma on the LPI and electron transport, slab and ``buried-cone'' targets were shot on Titan at the Jupiter Laser Facility using relatively clean 527 nm wavelength pulses with varying levels of injected pre-pulse energy. We compare the experimental results to simulations using the PIC code LSP. The simulations, in 2D3V Cartesian, are performed using full-scale targets and laser pulse.

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Authors

  • G.E. Kemp

    OSU/LLNL

  • D.W. Schumacher

    OSU

  • Tony Link

    LLNL, Ohio State University

  • Richard Freeman

    OSU, The Ohio State University

  • Hal Friesen

    U of A, University of Alberta

  • Henry Tiedje

    U of A, University of Alberta

  • Ying Tsui

    U of A, University of Alberta

  • R. Fedosejevs

    U of A, U of Alberta, University of Alberta, Univ. of Alberta, Canada

  • D.P. Higginson

    UCSD/LLNL

  • Farhat Beg

    UCSD, UC San Diego, University of California San Diego, U California San Diego, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA, University of California-San Diego, USA

  • M.H. Key

    LLNL, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

  • Harry McLean

    LLNL, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

  • Prav Patel

    LLNL, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

  • Richard Stephens

    General Atomics, GA