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K-shell spectroscopy of nanowire plasmas heated with highly relativistic laser pulses

ORAL

Abstract

The K-shell emission from Ni and Ti near-solid density nanowire array plasmas and solid foils is measured with high spectral resolution at the ALEPH laser facility at Colorado State University using a suite of high-resolution x-ray spectrometers for time-integrated measurements. The addition of a sub-picosecond resolution x-ray streak camera allows for time-resolved measurements of the spectral line emission. The targets are irradiated at highly relativistic intensities, ao ~ 20, with ultra-high contrast 400 nm laser pulses of ~50 fs duration. The plasma density is varied using arrays of 100 nm diameter nanowire arrays with different wire spacings which allows us to vary the target density from 7% to 30% of solid density. The x-ray yield of the lower density nanowire arrays exceeds that of the solid density foil by a factor of ~5x. Time-resolved x-ray emission reveals that the lower density nanowire arrays reach higher temperatures and radiate for longer durations of time (~25 ps) whereas the higher density nanowire arrays radiate for shorter times, converging with the x-ray emission of solid density foils. The experimental results will be compared to three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. 

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Presenters

  • Reed C Hollinger

    Colorado State University, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80521 USA

Authors

  • Reed C Hollinger

    Colorado State University, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80521 USA

  • Shoujun Wang

    Colorado State University, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80521 USA

  • Huanyu Song

    Colorado State University, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80521 USA

  • Ryan Nedbailo

    Colorado State University, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80521 USA

  • Vyacheslav Shlyaptsev

    Colorado State University

  • Jorge J Rocca

    Colorado State University, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80521 USA

  • Jerry Clark

    Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab

  • Ronnie L Shepherd

    Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab

  • Jim A Emig

    Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Lab

  • Ed Magee

    Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab

  • Matthew P Hill

    AWE Plc, Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab, Atomic Weapons Establishment, LLNL and AWE

  • Riccardo Tommasini

    Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab

  • Alexander Pukhov

    Institut für Theoretische Physik I, Heinrich-Heine Universitat, Institut für Theoretische Physik I, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf

  • Christoph Baumann

    Institut für Theoretische Physik I, Heinrich-Heine Universitat

  • Brian F Kraus

    Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, PPPL, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), USA

  • Lan Gao

    Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, PPPL, Princeton University

  • P.C. C Efthimion

    Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, PPPL

  • Kenneth W Hill

    Princeton University, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory

  • Manfred L Bitter

    Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory