Photo-emission studies from Zn cathodes under plasma phase

In this paper, we report investigations of the electron emission from pure Zn cathodes irradiated by UV laser pulses of 23 ns (full-width at half-maximum) at a wavelength of 248 nm (5 eV). The metal cathodes were tested in a vacuum photodiode chamber at 10^?5 Pa. They were irradiated at normal incidence and the anode–cathode distance was set at 3 mm. The maximum applied accelerating voltage was 18 kV, limited by the electrical breakdown of the photodiode gap. Under the above experimental conditions, a maximum applied electric field of 6 MV/m resulted. In the saturation regime, the measured quantum efficiency value increased with the accelerating voltage due to the plasma formation. The highest output current was achieved with 14 mJ laser energy, 18 kV accelerating voltage and its value was 12 A, corresponding to a global quantum efficiency (GQE) approximately of 1×10^?4. The temporal quantum efficiency was 1.0×10^?4 at the laser pulse onset time and 1.4×10^?4 at the pulse tail. We calculated the target temperature at the maximum laser energy. Its value allowed us to obtain output pulses of the same laser temporal profile. Tests performed with a lower laser photon energy (4.02 eV) demonstrated a GQE of two orders of magnitude lower.     

Low energy ion beams by laser interaction

We developed an ion accelerator with a double accelerating gap system supplied by two power generators of different polarity. The ions were generated by laser ion source technique. The laser plasma induced by an excimer KrF laser, freely expanded before the action of accelerating fields. After the first gap action, the ions were again accelerated by a second gap. The total acceleration can imprint a maximum ion energy up to 160 keV per charge state. We analysed the extracted charge from a Cu target as a function of the accelerating voltage at laser energy of 9, 11 and 17 mJ deposited on a spot of 0.005 cm². The peak of current density was 3.9 and 5.3 mA for the lower and medium laser energy at 60 kV. At the highest laser energy, the maximum output current was 11.7 mA with an accelerating voltage of 50 kV. The maximum ion dose was estimated to be 10¹² ions/cm². Under the condition of 60 kV accelerating voltage and 5.3 mA output current the normalized emittance of the beam measured by pepper pot method was 0.22 π mm mrad.     

80 A/cm2 electron beams from metal targets irradiated by KrCl and XeCl excimer lasers

Due to the growing demand for high-current and long-duration electron-beam devices, laser electron sources were investigated in our laboratory. Experiments on electron-beam generation and propagation from aluminium and copper targets illuminated by XeCl (308 nm) and KrCl (222 nm) excimer lasers, were carried out under plasma ignition due to laser irradiation. This plasma supplied a spontaneous accelerating electric field of about 370 kV/m without an external accelerating voltage. By applying the modified one-dimensional Poisson equation, we computed the expected current and we also estimated the plasma concentration during the accelerating process. At 40 kV of accelerating voltage, an output current pulse of about 80 A/cm² was detected from an Al target irradiated by the shorter wavelength laser.On leave from Institute of General Physics, Moscow, Russia     

Plasma parameters within the cathode spot of laser-induced vacuumarcs: experimental and theoretical investigations

Cathode spot formation in laser-induced breakdown in vacuum was investigated by laser absorption photography with high spatial (0.5 μm) and temporal (100 ps) resolution. The discharge was initiated between Cu electrodes with a cathode-anode distance of 15-250 μm. The duration of pulsed discharges was 750 ns and dc discharges some milliseconds; the current was below 10 A. Picosecond momentary absorption photography yielded spatial-temporal density distributions in the ignition phase of the cathode spot. An absolute electron density >5×10²⁶ m^-3 in narrow plasma fragments with a diameter smaller than 5 μm was estimated. Mathematical modeling has satisfactorily explained the formation of the narrow plasma channel due to the bulk current self-focusing, as well as due to the generation of nonstationary emissive centers at the moving boundary of the expanding cathode spot plasma     

Experimental study and computer simulations of the implantation of laser plasma ions in pulsed electric fields

Results are presented from experimental studies of pulsed plasma flows generated by nanosecond laser pulses with an intensity of 7 × 10⁸ W/cm² from a solid-state target in a strong electric field. The current pulses through the laser target and the depth distributions of the iron ions implanted in a silicon substrate to which a negative high-voltage pulse was applied are measured. The physical processes occurring in laser plasma with an initial iron ion density of 6 × 10¹⁰ cm⁻³ are simulated numerically by the particle-in-cell method for different delay times and different shapes of the accelerating high-voltage pulse. The model developed allows one to calculate the ion flows onto the processed substrate, the electron flows onto the target, and the energy spectra of the implanted ions. The results from computer simulations are found to be in good agreement the experimental data.     

Analysis of characteristic X-ray generation induced by laser plasma electrons accelerated by an electric field

The results of experiments devoted to the study of spectral, spatial, and time characteristics of a spectrally bright point x-ray source based on a vacuum diode with a laser-plasma cathode and a titanium needle anode with a photon energy approximately equal to 4.5 keV are presented. The experimental results revealed a considerable difference between the electron emission from laser plasma in a strong electric field and the explosive electron emission and demonstrated the effectiveness of laser plasma as an electron source. The optimization of the laser radiation power density, the accelerating voltage, and the interelectrode spacing made it possible to create a point x-ray source whose spectral brightness exceeds available sources in the class of small-size pulse x-ray instruments (tubes with explosive cathodes). It has been proved experimentally that the maximum contrast of the characteristic lines of the anode material is attained in the case of an optimal choice of accelerating voltage. The x-ray source has the following parameters: (1) spectral brightness of the K-lines of titanium of the order of 10²¹ photons/cm² s sr keV; (2) emitting region size of 250 mm; and (3) laser pulse duration less than 20 ns.     

Numerical modeling of transient progression of plasma formation in biological tissues induced by short laser pulses

A theoretical model based on the rate equation for free electron density is proposed to investigate transient progression of plasma formation in soft biological tissues during laser shock processing. The laser focusing region around the focus point is considered to be one-dimensional along the direction of the incident beam, and is discretized into numerous thin control volumes. In simulation of the transient plasma progression, the laser intensity distribution and the temporal evolution of the free electron density are calculated sequentially for each control volume using a fourth-order Runge–Kutta method with adaptive time step control. The rate-equation formalism is first validated with previously published theoretical and experimental results. Simulation of the dynamics of plasma formation is then performed. The results include temporal evolution and spatial distribution of the free electron density as well as the growth of the plasma. It is shown that the threshold laser intensity for optical breakdown in water and the maximum length of the resulting plasma obtained from the present model are in good agreement with existing experimental data. PACS 42.65.-k; 52.38.-r; 87.80.-y     

Interaction of tea CO2 laser light with plasma

High power double discharge type TEA CO₂ laser was used to study laser plasma interaction on carbon target plasma. The maximum output power was 0.3 GW and full width at half maximum intensity was 100 ns. We measured the reflectivity of the laser light at 10.6 μm in wavelength from the carbon plasma. The reflectivity showed a maximum (≈56%) at the laser power intensity of about 1.1 x 10¹⁰ W/cm², and at above this value, the reflectivity decreased. The absorption was introduced effectively above this intensity. The electron density and temperature were also measured.     

提高X光激光相干性的镶嵌靶的研究

 在以锗等离子体为增益介质的X光激光实验研究中，使用铜锗镶嵌靶可以获得一维横向宽度很窄的柱状等离子体，这有利于X光激光的单横模输出。本文对铜锗镶嵌靶进行了实验研究。     

数字全息形貌测量的基本特性分析

在对数字全息技术进行严格理论分析的基础上，本文指出随单个CCD像元的尺寸的减小可能被记录物体的横向尺寸将变大，所允许的纵向尺寸却变小；另一方面其系统误差和被测量值本身的大小成正比，和横向分辨率成反比。     

反铁电陶瓷的强电子发射特性研究

采用掺镧锆锡钛酸铅反铁电陶瓷作为阴极材料,研究了脉冲电压激励下陶瓷的电子发射特性.当激励电压为800V、抽取电压为0V时,得到1.27A/cm²的发射电流密度;当抽取电压增加到4kV时,获得1700A/cm²的发射电流密度.分析了发射电流随抽取电压的变化关系,讨论了反铁电陶瓷强电子发射的内在机理.结果表明：掺镧锆锡钛酸铅反铁电陶瓷能够在较低的激励电压(400V)下实现电子发射,发射电流远大于按照Child-Langmuir定律计算出的电流,三接点附近局域反铁电—铁电相变产生初始电子发射,初始电子电离中性粒子形成等离子体,增强了电子发射. 关键词： 铁电阴极 反铁电体 电子发射     

激光等离子体自发电流

本文研究了脉宽为200ps(FWHM),输出能量为0.1～4J,波长为1.06μm的激光束辐照Rh,Ag和Cu靶激光等离子体发射的自发电流.实验结果发现,激光辐照的焦斑中心位置,峰值电流密度高达10⁷A/cm²。 关键词：     

Proton beam generation by ultra-high intensity laser–solid interaction

We report on some recent experimental results on proton production from ultra-intense laser pulse interaction with thin aluminium and plastic foil targets. These results were obtained at Laboratoire d'Optique Appliquée with the 100 TW ‘salle jaune’ laser system, delivering 35 fs laser pulses at 0.8 μm, reaching a maximum intensity on target of a few 10¹⁹ W/cm².

In such extreme interaction conditions, an intense and collimated relativistic electron current is injected from the plasma created on the laser focal spot into the cold interior of the target. Its transport through dense matter, ruled by both collisions and self-induced (electro-magnetic) field effects, is the driving mechanism for proton acceleration from the rear side of thin foils: when reaching and leaving the foil rear-side, the fast electrons create a large charge separation and a huge electrostatic field with a maximum value of few TV/m, capable of accelerating protons.

A parametric study as a function of the laser driver and target parameters indicates an optimal value for target thickness, which strongly depends on the laser prepulse duration. In our experiments, we did irradiate targets of various materials (CH, Al, Au) changing the prepulse duration by using fast Pockels cells in the laser chain. CR-39 nuclear track detectors with Al filters of different thickness and a Thomson parabola were used to detect proton generation. The best results were obtained for 2 μm Al targets, leading to the generation of proton energies with energies up to 12 MeV.     

High-sensitivity measurements of the Kerr constant in gases using a Fabry–Pérot-based ellipsometer

The electromagnetic and geometric characteristics of electron beams generated by molybdenum cathodes illuminated by an excimer laser are reported. To determine the electromagnetic characteristics, a fast Rogowski coil was utilized, while the geometric characteristics were performed by a suitable slit–slit meter system. During the experiment the laser spot on the cathode was fixed to 4 mm². The maximum output current (370 mA) was reached with 0.5 mJ laser energy and 50 kV accelerating voltage. In these conditions the electron beam normalized emittance was 6 (π mm mrad) calculated at 80% level current density. The laser used in this experiment was a singular excimer laser (KrCl) operating in the NUV range. Received: 22 March 2000 / Revised version: 11 July 2000 / Published online: 5 October 2000     

Design of a new pseudospark-produced high-brightness electron beam source

Ｄｅｓｉｇｎｏｆａｎｅｗｐｓｅｕｄｏｓｐａｒｋ－ｐｒｏｄｕｃｅｄｈｉｇｈ－ｂｒｉｇｈｔｎｅｓｓｅｌｅｃｔｒｏｎｂｅａｍｓｏｕｒｃｅＺＨＵＪｕｎｂｉａｏ；ＷＡＮＧＭｉｎｇｃｈａｎｇ；ＷＡＮＧＺｈｉｊｉａｎｇ（ＳｈａｎｇｈａｉｉｎｓｔｉｔｕｔｅｏｆＯｐｔ...     

新型电子束源—虚火花放电室设计

提出一种新型的脉冲线加速器驱动的高功率，强流密度，低发射率，高亮度电子束源－虚火花放电室的初步设计。基于空心阴极效应和虚火花放电经验公式，确定了空心阴极，多隙阴－阳极，取及工作气压范围，最后提出关于虚火花产生高亮度电子束源的总体实验方案。     

The electron-optical system of the LIU-2 induction accelerator

The electron-optical system (EOS) of an induction accelerator for generation of an electron beam with an energy of 2 MeV, a current of 2 kA, an impulse duration of 2 × 10^?7 s, and a geometric output emittance not exceeding the thermal value of it is described. The EOS consists of two parts. The first part is a diode gun with a perveance of 2 × 10^?6 A/B^3/2 and a cathode-anode voltage of 1 MeV. The second part is an accelerating tube with uniform distribution of the same accelerating voltage. A beam is transported at a distance of about 4 m from the cathode and focused on a spot with a diameter of about 1 mm. The compliance tests results of the linear-induction accelerator precisely conform to the calculated design parameters.     

Gd靶激光等离子体光源离带辐射及其等离子体演化的研究

利用脉冲宽度为10 ns,输出波长为1 064 nm的Nd∶YAG激光器作用金属Gd以及纳米粒子掺杂的低密度Gd玻璃等两种形式靶所产生等离子体光源的离带辐射进行了研究,发现等离子体所发出的连续辐射是离带辐射的主要成分,光谱分布与温度为5 eV的普朗克曲线相匹配。此外,相对于金属Gd靶而言,采用纳米粒子掺杂的低密度Gd玻璃靶可大幅度降低等离子体光源的离带辐射。利用光谱法,对激光作用纳米粒子掺杂的低密度Gd玻璃靶所形成光源的等离子体羽的电子温度和电子密度进行了时空分辨研究。实验结果表明,在打靶结束125 ns时,距靶面6 mm位置处等离子体的电子温度约为4 eV,电子密度约为1.2×1018 cm-3。同时发现在激光打靶结束后等离子体羽的电子温度和电子密度随延时的变化而呈指数下降,在120～250 ns时间范围内,两者下降较快,之后其幅度下降缓慢。另一方面,当打靶脉冲结束约200 ns时,在距离靶面1～10 mm的空间内等离子体的电子温度及密度均经历先上升后下降的变化过程。在距靶材表面6 mm位置处,电子温度和电子密度均达到最大值,电子温度约为2.6 eV,电子密度为8.5×1017cm-3。     

The synthesis of organic molecules in a laser plasma similar to the plasma that emerges in hypervelocity collisions of matter at the early evolutionary stage of the Earth and in interstellar clouds

Ions of organic molecules and polymers as well as multiply ionized hydrocarbons were synthesized and detected with a time-of-flight mass analyzer in laboratory experiments simulating with a laser the plasma processes that accompany a hypervelocity micrometeorite impact on the target surface. A hypervelocity impact of micrometeorites moving at velocities of 80 km s^?1 on a inorganic target was simulated with a Q-switched laser. The laser provided a power density of 10⁹?10¹¹ W cm^?2 in a spot with an impact diameter of 30–150 μm for a pulse duration of 7–10 ns and a laser plasma electron density of 10⁵?10⁶ K. The ions of organic compounds are shown to be synthesized mostly during the free expansion of a hot laser plasma at the stage of its cooling and recombination if, initially, the plasma was completely atomized and ionized. Molecular ions have high yields only for a carbon target. The results obtained indicate that organic or other polyatomic compounds can be abiogenically synthesized in intense hypervelocity meteorite impacts on the Earth’s surface at the early stage of its formation during meteorite showers and in hypervelocity collisions of dust particles in interstellar molecular clouds.     

Measurement of cathode spot parameters with pulsed laserdiagnostics

The cathode spot formation in air within the first 170 ns was investigated by laser absorption photography and ps-pulse interferometry. The discharge was initiated between electrodes made from Ag or Pd with cathode-anode distance below 300 μm, the arc duration was some milliseconds, and the arc current 5-10 A. Picosecond holographic interferometry and momentary absorption photography yielded spatial-temporal density distributions in the ignition phase of the cathode spot. An absolute electron density value on the order of 4×10²⁶ m^-3 has been found. In contrast to vacuum, the cathode spot plasmas broaden little with increasing distance from the cathode, thus narrow plasma channels are observed in the vicinity of the cathode surface having diameters <20 μm