Determination of the radiation cross sections of low-energy transitions of isomeric nuclei from observation of laser-induced γ fluorescence

Theoretical estimates are given along with the first experimental results on the observation of resonance fluorescence in nuclei of rubidium isomer under conditions of laser plasma X-ray pumping of the contiguous transition with an energy of 3.4 keV. The laser plasma is prepared by irradiating a silver target by a powerful radiation of a Nd laser with a pulse duration of 600 ps. It is demonstrated how one can use the recorded number of emitted γ quanta to determine the probability of low-energy nuclear transition excited by laser plasma X rays.     

Novel photonuclear techniques based on femtosecond lasers

The results of X-ray diagnostics of plasma created at a material surface by a laser pulse with an intensity of up to 2.5 × 10¹⁸ W/cm² are presented. The experimental data are compared with the results of numerical modeling of the laser-plasma interaction while accounting for the detector-response function. Examples of possible nuclear problems that can be solved with the use of laser plasma as a source of charged particles and X-ray quanta are given.     

高功率激光在存储环上的应用

重离子冷却存储环中的束流是高密度的等离子体,这样的束流照射物体将得到超高压强．如果高功率激光照射束流,将产生实验室中从来没有过的超高温度．这些极端的条件为开辟重离子物理研家新领域提供了可能性．在存储环中使用X射线激光可以测显类锂离子的电荷均方根半径绝对值,使核基态性质的研究将有突破性的进展．它开辟了在等离子体物理、金属物理、核物理和天体物理等领域新的实验条件．为惯性聚变的快速点火创造了最好条件． In cooling storage ring heavy ion beam is plasma of high density. when a big power laser interacted on it, it will get ultra-high temperature. This beam irradiated on an object will get ultra-high pressure. This high energy pulse laser can produce X-ray laser. In the cooling storage ring absolute value of charge mean root radius of Lithium-like nuclei will be measured by the X-ray laser. It will be broken through in investigating the property of nuclear ground state. That will create many...     

X射线胶片的脉冲光源响应标定

用ＬＦ－１１激光装置的１．０６μｍ脉冲激光加热Ｃｕ靶产生的Ｌ－壳层线辐射作脉冲Ｘ射线源，在曝光量为（０．０１～１０）－７Ｊ·ｃｍ－２范围内，标定了ＫＯＤＡＫＡＡ－５，ＫＯＤＡＫＳＷＲ和ＵＦＳＨ－Ｏ软Ｘ射线胶片的响应曲线，并与用连续光源标定的进行了对比．结果表明，这三种ｘ射线胶片，在强脉冲光源曝光条件下，都存在着胶片响应互易律失效问题，过去用连续光源标定的响应曲线，在激光等离子体诊断实验中，已经不能采用．     

激光与相对论电子束相互作用中阿秒X射线脉冲的产生

本文对激光与相对论电子束相互作用产生的阿秒X射线脉冲进行了研究.阿秒X射线脉冲是由于激光被相对论运动的电子束经过汤姆孙后向散射产生的.讨论了等离子体参数对产生的阿秒X射线的影响.发现其波长随着入射激光的频率的增加或电子束的速度增加而减小.选择合适的参数还可以获得"水窗"波段的X射线.还讨论了相对论电子束的密度与其前沿的密度梯度的大小对所产生X射线的转化效率的影响. 关键词： 阿秒X射线脉冲 汤姆孙后向散射 超强激光 相对论电子束     

A review of Ni-like X-ray laser experiments undertaken using the VULCAN laser at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory

Recent progress using the VULCAN laser at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory to pump X-ray lasing in nickel-like ions is reviewed. Double pulse pumping with ∼100 ps pulses has been shown to produce significantly greater X-ray laser output than single pulses of duration 0.1–1 ns. With double pulse pumping, the main pumping pulse interacts with a pre-formed plasma created by a pre-pulse. The efficiency of lasing increases as there is a reduced effect of refraction of the X-ray laser beam due to smaller density gradients and larger gain volumes, which enable propagation of the X-ray laser beam along the full length of the target. The record shortest wavelength saturated laser at 5.9 nm has been achieved in Ni-like dysprosium using double pulse pumping of 75 ps duration from the VULCAN laser. A variant of the double pulse pumping using a single ∼100 ps laser pulse and a superimposed short ∼1 ps pulse has been found to further increase the efficiency of lasing by reducing the effects of over-ionisation during the gain period. The record shortest wavelength saturated laser pumped by a short ∼1 ps pulse has been achieved in Ni-like samarium using the VULCAN laser operating in chirped pulse amplified (CPA) mode. Ni-like samarium lases at 7.3 nm.     

Enhanced betatron radiation by a modulating laser pulse in laser wakefield acceleration

We propose a new idea to enhance and control the betatron radiation by using a modulating laser pulse in laser wakefield acceleration. In this scheme, a high-power laser pulse is used for self-trapping and acceleration of the plasma electrons and the accelerated electron beam is modulated by a separately-propagating laser pulse for large amplitude betatron oscillations and microbunching. In this way, the relatively low power modulating laser pulse can enhance the X-ray photon flux and energy significantly. We performed two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations to demonstrate the idea and the results show that a sub-TW laser pulse is enough for electron beam modulation and it can generate easily-controllable fs X-ray pulses with a wide range of photon energies from soft X-rays to hard X-rays.     

基于半解析自洽理论研究相对论激光脉冲驱动下阿秒X射线源的产生

发展了一种描述相对论激光脉冲与稠密等离子体相互作用产生阿秒X射线源的半解析自洽理论.该理论模型不仅可以获得等离子体界面的振荡轨迹、振荡面电场和磁场等物理参数,而且能够精确计算出激光脉冲驱动下阿秒X射线源的频谱,结果与粒子模拟程序一致.理论计算结果表明阿秒X射线源的辐射特性与等离子体界面随时演化过程相关,在周期量级激光场驱动下等离子体界面振荡振幅呈现中心不对称,通过改变激光场的载波包络相位实现对等离子体界面振荡的控制,获得准单阿秒X射线源.     

长脉冲keV X射线源的辐射特征

 利用神光Ⅱ第九路2 ns长脉冲激光束作用厚钛固体靶,研究了产生的keV X射线源的辐射区域和总辐射功率的时间行为。结果表明：在长脉冲激光作用厚固体靶时,硬X射线线辐射功率的时间行为以及辐射体积的时间行为与激光脉冲波形一致;长脉冲时,等离子体2维膨胀效应非常显著,keV X射线线辐射的径向辐射区域在激光焦斑尺寸附近达到饱和,导致X射线线辐射功率出现饱和,且keV X射线线辐射的辐射体积正比于焦斑尺寸的3次方。从理论和实验角度研究了在同样入射激光能量下,辐射功率随激光焦斑尺寸的变化关系,发现keV X射线线辐射的饱和辐射功率正比于焦斑尺寸的5/3次方,理论结果与实验结果一致。并讨论了相同基频输出激光能量下,keV X射线辐射总功率随激光波长的变化关系,发现即使考虑了倍频效率的影响,短波长激光仍然有利于keV X射线的发射。     

Triggering of nuclear isomers by X-ray laser

We studied the decay of nuclear isomeric states in the field of the X-ray laser. The laser pulses are described by the Gaussian wave packet of linearly polarized electromagnetic waves. At first stage the laser short pulse generates nuclear transition in the intermediate excited state, which afterwards decays into the final state with emission of γ quantum. Simple formulas are derived for the induced transition probability, which well correlate with known results, obtained previously for the incoherent X-ray radiation.     

X-ray streak camera observations of laser produced plasma corona development

Combination of pinhole imaging of laser produced plasma soft X-ray emission and X-ray streak photography allows simultaneous space and time resolved study of the axial development of the high density region of the plasma created from a plane Cu target by a 6 nsec 1.06 μ laser pulse.     

On the possibility of obtaining incoherent femtosecond X-ray pulses from a laser plasma

It is proposed to use a high rate of collisional ionization in a superdense laser plasma to generate incoherent femtosecond X-ray pulses. The calculations indicate that the use of picosecond laser pulses with a contrast of about 10¹⁰ will allow the generation of an X-ray pulse with a duration of about 10 fs. The adequacy of the proposed model of the excitation of linear X-ray radiation from the plasma has been tested in the experiments with a picosecond laser of a moderately high contrast.     

X-ray production by a laser plasma in a strong electric field

The X-ray emission of a laser plasma from metal targets in a 26 kV cm^–1 electric field is investigated experimentally. A substructure of the X-ray pulse, corresponding to the laser pulse train period is found. The spectrum of the radiation in the range 2–25 keV is measured.     

Measurement of temporal durations of transient collisional excitation X-ray lasers

We have measured temporal durations of Ni-like transient collisional excitation X-ray lasers (4d4p, J=01) using a high-speed X-ray streak camera coupled with a flat field grating spectrometer. The pumping laser pulse consisted of a 400-ps prepulse and a 4.8-ps main pulse derived from a Nd:glass laser system with chirped pulse amplification. A quasi-traveling-wave pumping using a six-step mirror was adopted to synchronize the X-ray laser pulse and the onset of gain in a plasma medium. The X-ray laser outputs from three different materials, silver (Z=47), palladium (Z=46) and molybdenum (Z=42), showed that the X-ray laser duration became shorter as the atomic number decreased. PACS 42.55.Vc; 52.50.Jm; 52.70.La     

Phonon–particle coupling effects in odd–even double mass differences of magic nuclei

It has been proposed to use the formation of a magnetized plasma of laser-accelerated ions and electrons at the irradiation of the curved surface of the inner cavity of the target by a petawatt laser pulse to initiate a neutronless nuclear reaction of protons with boron nuclei. The possibility of an additional increase in the intensity of the reaction owing to the compression of the plasma at the irradiation of the outer surface of the target by a second terawatt laser pulse synchronized in time with the plasma-forming pulse has been discussed. The parameters of laser pulses and a target have been determined at which the ignition of a pB plasma occurs; i.e., the energy released in reactions is equal to the energy of the plasma.     

High density plasmas for recombination X-ray lasers

The scaling of recombination XUV lasers to shorter wavelengths requires laser plasmas produced at initial electron densities close to solid. With pump laser pulses longer than a few tens of picoseconds the hydrodynamic motion of the plasma during the interaction makes this difficult to achieve. In contrast, when picosecond laser pulses are used the laser energy is absorbed close to solid density since the plasma expansion is insignificant during the laser pulse. This results in hot near solid density plasmas which are needed for hydrogenic recombination X-ray lasers operating in the water window. Experimental observations have shown that a fully ionized aluminium plasma with a temperature of about 400 eV and a density well above 10²³ cm^–3 is produced when an aluminium target is irradiated with a single 3.5 ps high power KrF laser pulse.     

Study of the ion composition of an expanding magnesium plasma produced by a CO2 laser

The evolution of the ion composition of a laser plasma during its expansion over a large distance is studied. The plasma is produced by a TIR CO₂ laser with a pulse energy up to 100 J and duration of ～20 ns. X-ray diagnostics with the use of a spectrograph and X-ray PIN diodes was applied to study the plasma near the target surface. At large distances from the target surface, time-of-flight neutral-particle diagnostics with the use of an electrostatic analyzer and ion collector was applied. Calculations performed with the GIDRA-1 code agree well with experimental data.     

Parametric study of plasma active medium and gain saturation region in a Ne-like soft X-ray laser

Plasmas created by the interaction of high power optical laser with a target surface can be used as a source of soft X-ray lasers. Plasma and pump laser characteristics play significant role in achieving high gain coefficient for such plasma based on soft X-ray lasers. In the present work, the plasma active medium parameters for germanium element at a wavelength of 19.6 nm irradiated by a double-pulse pump laser have been studied using MED103 hydrodynamic code. For this purpose, first, the effects of laser intensity, pulse width and delay time of two pulses on the gain coefficient have been investigated and the optimum conditions for the maximum gain extent of Ne-like germanium soft X-ray laser are obtained. Then, in order to calculate the intensity of such high gain lasers in which Linford equation is invalid, we have adopted the general formula of amplified spontaneous emission intensity, which is valid in all range of intensities even at much higher intensities than saturation intensity. Finally, the soft X-ray laser intensities in the saturated areas for different plasma lengths have been calculated. The results show that the output of soft X-ray laser intensity with 294 cm⁻¹ gain coefficient can reach to about several times saturated intensity by applying a 1–2 mm plasma length as the active medium.     

Properties of the resonantly enhanced electric field in inhomogeneous laser-generated plasma

A numerical calculation is presented of the time-resolved response of a cold, inhomogeneous, one-dimensional plasma to obliquely incident laser radiation. The results of the simulation are compared with hard X-ray measurements taken from picosecond pulse laser-generated plasma and are shown to be in good agreement with the experimental data.