Density oscillations in laser produced plasma decelerated by external magnetic field

This paper presents the dynamics as well as the stability of laser produced plasma expanding across the magnetic field. Observation of some high frequency fluctuations superimposed on ion saturation current along with structuring in the pin hole images of x-ray emitting plasma plume indicate the presence of instability in the plasma. Two type of slope in the variation of x-ray emission with laser intensity in the absence and presence of magnetic field shows appearance of different threshold intensity of laser corresponding to each magnetic field at which this instability or density fluctuation sets on. This instability has been identified as a large Larmor radius instability instead of classical Rayleigh-Taylor (R-T) instability.     

Picosecond X-ray radiography of superdense high-temperature laser plasma

The layout of an X-ray source for diagnostics of the compressed state of laser plasma is proposed, and its optimal parameters are calculated under the conditions required for nuclear fusion. Such a source operating in a pulsed regime is intended to be used for determining the spatial distribution of laser-plasma density with high temporal resolution by means of multiframe (pulses follow with a specified time interval) backlight imaging of the main target by X-ray pulses obtained by irradiation of a secondary target by picosecond laser pulses.     

Two frequency laser produced plasma heating

Simulation results of single laser pulse plasma heating and that of two simultaneous pulses with different frequencies are compared for available frequencies and the frequency dependence of light absorption is examined.     

Structure of magnetic fields generated in laser produced plasmas

A numerical model is used to interpret recent results on magnetic fields generated in laser plasma experiments. Satisfactory agreement is found between model predictions and experimental observations of the morphology of the field. The principal features of the measured density profile are also reproduced.     

Proton radiography of a laser-driven implosion

Protons accelerated by a picosecond laser pulse have been used to radiograph a 500 microm diameter capsule, imploded with 300 J of laser light in 6 symmetrically incident beams of wavelength 1.054 microm and pulse length 1 ns. Point projection proton backlighting was used to characterize the density gradients at discrete times through the implosion. Asymmetries were diagnosed both during the early and stagnation stages of the implosion. Comparison with analytic scattering theory and simple Monte Carlo simulations were consistent with a 3+/-1 g/cm3 core with diameter 85+/-10 microm. Scaling simulations show that protons>50 MeV are required to diagnose asymmetry in ignition scale conditions.     

Diagnosis of laser produced plasma with charge collectors

Laser produced expanding plasmas exhibit appreciable spatial charge separations as measured by a low impedance Faraday cup. This can result from energetic electrons drifting with the positive ions. A Faraday cup collector with a magnetic filter in front is shown to measure the correct ion component as compared to other charge collector configurations.     

Ultracold plasma expansion in a magnetic field

We measure the expansion of an ultracold plasma across the field lines of a uniform magnetic field. We image the ion distribution by extracting the ions with a high-voltage pulse onto a position-sensitive detector. Early in the lifetime of the plasma (<20 micros), the size of the image is dominated by the time-of-flight Coulomb explosion of the dense ion cloud. For later times, we measure the 2D Gaussian width of the ion image, obtaining the transverse expansion velocity as a function of the magnetic field (up to 70 G). We observe that the expansion velocity scales as B(-1/2), explained by a nonlinear ambipolar diffusion model with anisotropic diffusion in two different directions.     

Generation of a magnetic field in a weakly inhomogeneous plasma interacting with a short laser pulse

The generation of a quasistationary magnetic field in a plasma interacting with a weakly focused low-intensity short laser pulse has been studied. It has been shown that the magnetic field changes direction at times comparable with the free path time of effective electrons. Generation also occurs after the switching off of the short pulse and the maximum field is proportional to the duration of the pulse and is reached at times larger than the free path time of the suprathermal electrons.     

Self-focusing and nonlinear acceleration process in laser produced plasma

Ruby laser intensities exceedingI ^* - 10¹⁴ W/cm² create a predominant acceleration of dense plasma due to nonlinear collisionless interaction resulting mainly from collective effects. Recoil causes confinement of the plasma interior in the form of a superlinearly increased radiation pressure. Similar nonlinear forces produce self-focusing in plasmas at a threshold laser power of only 10⁵ to 10⁶ W. The resulting filaments have intensitiesI ^*, from which their diameter can be determined in agreement with measurements of Korobkin and Alcock. These high intensities should allow some observed properties of laser produced plasmas (keV ions, linear increase of the ion charge) to be interpreted on the basis of the nonlinear acceleration described.     

Electron-ion recombination in a helium plasma produced by laser

Experimental investigation of the recombination coefficients in a helium plasma produced by laser is reported. The relative contribution of electronic collision processes and of atomic collision processes on the values of the recombination coefficients are pointed out according to the value of the neutral pressure of helium.     

A free-electron laser in a uniform magnetic field

The interaction of free electrons and free electromagnetic radiation, in the presence of a uniform magnetic field, can result in stimulated emission or absorption. We analyze the dynamics of single electrons by solving the classical, relativistic Lorentz force equations of motion in these combined fields. An electron may gain energy from, or lose energy to, the radiation field, depending crucially on the phase and oscillation frequency of the electron's helical motion within the superposed, circularly polarized light wave. To first order in the radiation field strength, electrons in a monoenergetic, uniformly distributed beam become spatially bunched, but there is no net energy change. To second order, however, the beam may experience a gain or loss of energy, corresponding to attenuation or amplification of radiation. We compare the bunching of this laser process to the bunching processes involved in 1) the Stanford free-electron laser and 2) the cyclotron maser, and find significant differences in each case. Our analytic results provide a clear, simple picture of the interaction process, and can be useful in exploring light amplification in astrophysical magnetic fields, the magnetosphere, or in laboratory devices. Supported in part by Army Contract No. DASG 60-77-C-0083 and NASA Grant NSG-7490.     

Observation of laser satellites in a plasma produced by a femtosecond laser pulse

Laser satellites are detected in the emission spectra of magnesium and aluminum plasmas produced by femtosecond laser pulses. This is made possible by the realization of picosecond time resolution in a high-luminosity x-ray spectrograph with a spherically curved mica crystal. The temporal characteristics of these newly recorded spectral lines show unequivocally that they are formed as a result of nonlinear processes. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 66, No. 7, 454–459 (10 October 1997)     

Effect of magnetic field on plasma control during CO2 laser welding

During high power CO₂ laser beam welding, the plasma above the keyhole has a shielding effect that it not only absorbs part of the laser energy but also defocuses the laser beam. As a result, the welding efficiency and the aspect ratio of the welds are influenced. In order to reduce the effect of plasma, helium as a plasma control gas has been used successfully and effectively. However, the cost of helium in Southeast Asia is extremely high and therefore the production cost is significantly increased when helium is used as a continuous bleeding plasma control gas. To search for an alternative plasma control technique, feasibility in using magnetic effect as a control tool is explored in this paper. The influences of the magnetic field strength, laser power, welding speed, field direction and shielding gas (e.g. helium and argon) on the penetration depth and the width of bead were also investigated. Experimental results indicated that the magnetic field can influence the shielding effect of the plasma without using plasma control gas. It was found that at a suitable magnetic field strength the penetration depth was increased by about 7%, but no significant difference on the width of bead was found. Moreover, it was shown that the plasma control effect can be achieved at low magnetic field strength and the penetration depth can be increased significantly under argon atmosphere.     

Dynamics of ZnO laser produced plasma in high pressure argon

Pulsed laser deposition of ZnO in high pressure gas offers a route for the catalyst-free preparation of ZnO nanorods less than 10 nm in diameter. This paper describes the results of some experiments to investigate the laser plume dynamics in the high gas pressure (5 × 10³-10⁴ Pa) regime used for PLD of ZnO nanorods. In this regime the ablation plume is strongly coupled to the gas and the plume expansion is brought to a halt within about 1 cm from the target. A 248 nm excimer laser was used to ablate a ceramic ZnO target in various pressures of argon. Time- and space-resolved UV/vis emission spectroscopy and Langmuir probe measurements were used to diagnose the plasma and follow the plume dynamics. By measuring the spatial profiles of Zn I and Zn II spectral lines it was possible to follow the propagation of the external and internal shock waves associated with the interaction of the ablation plume with the gas. The Langmuir probe measurements showed that the electron density was 10⁹-10¹⁰ cm⁻³ and the electron temperature was several eV. At these conditions the ionization equilibrium is described by the collisional-radiative model. The plume dynamics was also studied for ZnO targets doped with elements which are lighter (Mg), comparable to (Ga), and heavier (Er) than Zn, to see if there is any elemental segregation in the plume.     

Multiple charge states of titanium ions in laser produced plasma

An intense laser radiation (10¹² to 10¹¹ W/cm⁻²) focused on the solid target creates a hot (≥1 keV) and dense plasma having high ionization state. The multiple charged ions with high current densities produced during laser matter interaction have potential application in accelerators as an ion source. This paper presents generation and detection of highly stripped titanium ions (Ti) in laser produced plasma. An Nd:glass laser (KAMETRON) delivering 50 J energy (λ=0.53 μm) in 2.5 ns was focused onto a titanium target to produce plasma. This plasma was allowed to drift across a space of ∼3 m through a diagnostic hole in the focusing mirror before ions are finally detected with the help of electrostatic ion analyzer. Maximum current density was detected for the charge states of +16 and +17 of Ti ions for laser intensity of ∼10¹¹ W/cm⁻².