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Study of pure and mixed clustered noble gas puffs irradiated with a high intensity (7 × 1019 W/cm2) sub-ps laser beam and achievement of a strong X-ray flash in a laser-generated debris-free X-ray source

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 July 2019

K. A. Schultz Open the ORCID record for K. A. Schultz [Opens in a new window] ,
V. L. Kantsyrev ,
A. S. Safronova ,
V. V. Shlyaptseva ,
E. E. Petkov Open the ORCID record for E. E. Petkov [Opens in a new window] ,
I. K. Shrestha ,
M. C. Cooper ,
G. M. Petrov ,
A. Stafford  and
C. J. Butcher
...Show all authors
K. A. Schultz*
Affiliation:
Physics Department, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, Nevada 89557, USA
V. L. Kantsyrev
Affiliation:
Physics Department, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, Nevada 89557, USA
A. S. Safronova
Affiliation:
Physics Department, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, Nevada 89557, USA
V. V. Shlyaptseva
Affiliation:
Physics Department, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, Nevada 89557, USA
E. E. Petkov
Affiliation:
Physics Department, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, Nevada 89557, USA
I. K. Shrestha
Affiliation:
Physics Department, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, Nevada 89557, USA
M. C. Cooper
Affiliation:
Physics Department, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, Nevada 89557, USA
G. M. Petrov
Affiliation:
Plasma Physics Division, US Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375, USA
A. Stafford
Affiliation:
Physics Department, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, Nevada 89557, USA
C. J. Butcher
Affiliation:
Physics Department, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, Nevada 89557, USA
G. E. Kemp
Affiliation:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, USA
J. Park
Affiliation:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, USA
K. B. Fournier
Affiliation:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, USA
*
Author for correspondence: K. A. Schultz, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA. E-mail: kimberlys@lanl.gov
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Abstract

We present a broad study of linear, clustered, noble gas puffs irradiated with the frequency doubled (527 nm) Titan laser at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Pure Ar, Kr, and Xe clustered gas puffs, as well as two mixed-gas puffs consisting of KrAr and XeKrAr gases, make up the targets. Characterization experiments to determine gas-puff density show that varying the experimental parameter gas-delay timing (the delay between gas puff initialization and laser-gas-puff interaction) provides a simple control over the gas-puff density. X-ray emission (>1.4 keV) is studied as a function of gas composition, density, and delay timing. Xe gas puffs produce the strongest peak radiation in the several keV spectral region. The emitted radiation was found to be anisotropic, with smaller X-ray flux observed in the direction perpendicular to both laser beam propagation and polarization directions. The degree of anisotropy is independent of gas target type but increases with photon energy. X-ray spectroscopic measurements estimate plasma parameters and highlight their difference with previous studies. Electron beams with energy in excess of 72 keV are present in the noble gas-puff plasmas and results indicate that Ar plays a key role in their production. A drastic increase in harder X-ray emissions (X-ray flash effect) and multi-MeV electron-beam generation from Xe gas-puff plasma occurred when the laser beam was focused on the front edge of the linear gas puff.

Keywords

Clusterselectron beam emissiongas pufflaser plasmaX-ray emission
Type
Research Article
Information
Laser and Particle Beams , Volume 37 , Issue 3 , September 2019 , pp. 276 - 287
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019 

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