Optical Spectroscopy Measurements on Decaying Shocks in Transparent Crystals

In dynamic compression experiments, materials experience dramatic changes in their physical and chemical properties, manifesting in the material’s optical emission. For experiments involving high density, temperature is not a well-constrained parameter, requiring sophisticated models to infer thermodynamic properties. To this end, our work developed an optical spectroscopy diagnostic for the OMEGA EP Laser System at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics. This diagnostic measures the time- and wavelength-resolved thermal emission of laser-compressed materials. We present the design of the system, its performance, and experiments on decaying shocks in transparent crystals.