Radiative characteristics of pulsed power driven Z-pinch aluminumplasmas

In this paper, we study the dynamics of a massive aluminum Z-pinch plasma load and evaluate its performance as a soft X-ray radiator. A radiation hydrodynamic model self-consistently driven by a circuit describes the dynamics. Comparisons are made for the K- and L-shell soft X-ray emission as a function of the ionization dynamic model. The ionization dynamic models are represented by: 1) a time-dependent nonequilibrium (NEQ) model, 2) a collisional radiative equilibrium (CRE) model, and 3) a local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) model. For all three scenarios the radiation is treated 1) in the free streaming optically thin approximation where the plasma is treated as a volume emitter and 2) in the optically thick regime where the opacity for the lines and continuum is self-consistently calculated online and the radiation is transported through the plasma. Each simulation is carried out independently to determine the sensitivity of the implosion dynamics to the ionization and radiation model, i.e., how the ionization dynamic model affects the radiative yield and emission spectra. Results are presented for the L- and K-shell radiation yields and emission spectra as a function of photon energy from 10 eV to 10 keV. Also, departure coefficients from LTE are presented for selected levels and ionization stages     

Competition of modes resonant with arbitrary cyclotron harmonics ina gyrotron with nonfixed axial structure of the high-frequencyfield

A general theory is developed for self-consistent calculations of mode competition in a gyrotron with nonfixed axial structure of the RF field for arbitrary cyclotron harmonics. The theory is applied to the gyrotron operating at the Kernforschungszentrum Karlsruhe with a frequency of 150 GHz. The formalism presented allows a self-consistent calculation of mode competition for the operating and parasitic modes at the cyclotron resonance at arbitrary harmonics. Specific calculations are carried out for the cases n₀=1, n₁ =2 and n₀=2, n₁=1. It is emphasized that the formalism considered applies only to the case in which the azimuthal orthogonality condition is satisfied: n₀m₁≠n₁ m₀. There are circumstances when this condition is not satisfied     

On the use of atmospheric pressure plasmas as electromagneticreflectors and absorbers

Tenuous man-made plasmas in the Earth's atmosphere from sea level to 100 km are discussed. An ionization source generates a tenuous plasma with an electron number density n_e that is high near the source and diminishes with distance from the source. After the source shuts off, n_e decreases as a function of time as electrons recombine with positive ions or attach to negative ions. The electromagnetic properties that are essential to an understanding of these plasmas, which can be modeled as cold collisional plasmas, is discussed. Gas and plasma characteristics, such as momentum-transfer collision rate, plasma lifetime, recombination kinetics, and the effect of noble gases, are presented. Typical collision rates and plasma lifetimes at atmospheric pressure are quantified. Applications for a plasma with a gradient are discussed. They include a high-altitude plasma that can reflect or absorb from HF to VHF and a broadband atmospheric pressure absorber. The generation and use of plasma, including electron impact ionization with a high-energy electron-beam source and UV photoionization of an alkali vapor or an organic vapor such as tetrakis (dimethylamino)ethylene (TMAE), is described. The power required to sustain a plasma is quantified, and properties such as maximum absorption and bandwidth are discussed. Tradeoffs among maximum absorption, absorption bandwidth, duty ratio, and applied power permit optimization of absorption primarily at VHF     

A slow wave free-electron laser in a longitudinal wiggler field

Linearized Vlasov-Maxwell equations are solved to obtain the growth rate of free electron laser instability from a tenuous relativistic electron beam propagating in a partially dielectric loaded waveguide immersed in combined axial and longitudinal wiggler magnetic fields. The instability appears via cyclotron resonance interactions for wave perturbations very close to w-kV_z-w_c=nk ₀V_Z where n is the general harmonic number. For n=0, the gain is similar to a slow wave cyclotron amplifier. For n⩾1, the growth rate is substantially larger than the standard slow wave free electron laser scheme utilizing a transverse wiggler field     

Development of a sodium-pump/neo-lasant photopumped soft X-raylaser

An intense source of sodium pump-line radiation has been created and used to photopump a neon plasma for application to a pulsed-power driven sodium/neo X-ray laser. Properties of the sodium-pump plasma and the neon-lasant plasma required to optimize fluorescence and lasing are determined. The implosion of a sodium-bearing plasma with a megampere pulsed-power driver (Gamble II) is used to produce a linear Z-pinch with up to 25 GW of sodium-pump-line radiation. A separate neon plasma, driven by part of the return current from the imploding sodium plasma, is created parallel to the sodium line source at a distance of 5 cm. Evidence for population inversion is indicated by fluorescence enhancement of the 11-Å resonance line from the n =4 level of neon when pumped by sodium     

Computation of the electric and magnetic fields induced in a plasmacreated by ionization lasting a finite interval of time

S.C. Wilks et al. (1988) showed that when an infinite expanse of gas, carrying a linearly polarized electromagnetic wave, is instantly ionized, the initial wave is frequency upshifted. This phenomenon of frequency upconversion through flash ionization gives rise to steady-state transmitted and reflected electromagnetic waves and to a time-independent magnetic field. The case in which the final state of ionization is achieved not instantly but in a finite turn-on time, 0⩽t⩽t 0, which is followed by the steady state, is studied. It is shown that the electric field is obtained from the one-dimensional Helmholtz equation, d²F(t)/dt² +ω₀²g(t)F( t)=0, if electrons are born at rest when they are created during ionization. As a result, the instantaneous frequency of the upshifted radiation is ω(t)=√g(t). The electric field can be solved exactly for specific choices of g(t). It is solved using WKB approximations for arbitrary g(t). The magnetic field is then found by integrating Faraday's law. It is found that the steady-state electric field amplitude depends on the steady-state value o f g(t) but does not depend on the ionization time t₀. Conversely, the static magnetic field amplitude decreases with increasing turn-on time     

Demonstration of the frequency upshifting of microwave radiation byrapid plasma creation

A technique for frequency-upshifting electromagnetic radiation is demonstrated. By ionizing azulene vapor contained in a resonant cavity using a laser pulse, the frequency of the incident RF wave at 33.3 GHz is upshifted by 5% with greater than 10% efficiency. Maximum frequency upshift of 2.3 times the source frequency is observed. There are two mechanisms thought to be operative in producing the observed frequency upshift: the time-dependent dielectric constant due to increasing plasma density, and rapid Q-switching of the cavity. This technique has the potential of being able to generate tunable and chirped radiation over a very broad (Δf/f≳1) frequency range     

Maximum material thickness for extreme ultra-violet and X-ray backlighter probing of dense plasma

Extreme ultra-violet (EUV) lasers, X-ray lasers and other backlighter sources can be used to probe high-energy density materials if their brightness can overcome self-emission from the material. We investigate the maximum plasma thickness of aluminum, silicon and iron that can be probed with EUV or X-ray photons of energy 89–1243 eV before self-emission from the plasma overwhelms the backlighter output. For a uniform plasma, backlighter transmission decreases exponentially with increasing thickness of the material following Beer's law at a rate dependent on the plasma opacity. We evaluate the plasma opacity with the Los Alamos TOPS opacity data. The self-emission is assumed to be either that of a black body to arise from a plasma in LTE or to only consist of free–free and free–bound emission. It is shown that at higher plasma temperature (?40 eV), EUV radiation (e.g. photon energy=89 eV) can probe a greater thickness of plasma than X-ray radiation (e.g. photon energy=1243 eV).     

Coherent and incoherent XUV emission in helium and neon,laser-driven plasmas

The authors present results of measurements of high-order harmonic generation and XUV spontaneous emission in helium and neon plasmas excited by a short pulse laser at intensities between 10¹⁴ and 5×10¹⁷ W/cm². They compare the observed behavior of the harmonics with recent single atom calculations in helium. A wavelength dependence to the efficiency of harmonic generation that has not been previously reported is observed. Line emission from excited state transitions in Ne⁷⁺ in a short pulse laser-driven plasma is also observed. In particular, strong emission and a rapid recombination rate for the 9.8-nm (3d-2p) transition that is a possible candidate for a recombination-pumped X-ray laser is shown     

Validity conditions for complete and partial local thermodynamicequilibrium of nonhydrogenic level systems and their application tocopper vapor arcs in vacuum

Validity conditions for complete and partial local thermodynamic equilibrium (CLTE and PLTE) of homogeneous, time-dependent, and optically thin plasmas are derived. For Cu I, electron densities of n_e⩾(5×10²²-5×10²³ ) m^-3 are required for the establishment of CLTE. For Cu I and Cu II, n_e⩾(5×10²¹-5×10²¹ -5×10²²) m^-3 is necessary for PLTE (for electron temperatures of 1-2 eV). Application to low-current copper vapor arcs in vacuum shows that CLTE can be expected for r<200-600 μm (r=distance from the cathode spot). A further limitation follows for temperatures of 2 eV or higher if diffusion effects are taken into consideration. Consequently, the use of the LTE formulas in plasma spectroscopy of low-current vacuum arcs is very limited     

Recombination lasing in heliumlike silicon: a possible path to thewater window

A major goal of current X-ray laser research is the achievement of gain in the 23.3-43.7 Å wavelength region, known as the `water window'. Silicon is the lowest atomic number element for which all the heliumlike 3-2 transitions lie in this region. The authors examine the fundamental kinetics of recombination lasing in this species, and conclude that the Si XIII 1s3d¹D ₂-1s2p¹P₁ line at 39.1 Å is an attractive candidate for recombination-pumped lasing. Attainment of gain in this line is somewhat more energetically favorable than for the hydrogenic Al XIII 3-2 transitions, but radiative trapping may be somewhat more troublesome than for H-like Al     

Short wavelength X-ray emission generated by highly excited cluster beams

X-ray radiation is studied for large clusters consisting of 10⁷–10¹⁰ atoms and irradiated by an intense laser pulse with an intensity ranged from (10¹⁴ up to 10¹⁸ W/cm²). The model is developed for such a laser plasma that includes the radiative transitions and the processes of excitation and quenching of multicharged ions of this plasma by electron impact. Due to interaction of a radiating multicharged ion with a surrounding plasma, spectral lines of emission are broaden and neighboring spectral lines are overlapped. As a result, the spectrum of radiation of multicharged ions is transformed into a continuous spectral band. The model under consideration includes important plasma processes including dielectronic recombination, spontaneous radiation, excitation, quenching and ionization of multicharged ions by electron impact. On the basis of the model developed the X-ray spectrum and spectral power are evaluated. In the range of laser intensities under consideration a laser plasma formed contains multicharged ions with charges Z = 26?36 that corresponds to the 3d-electron shell in the xenon case.     

The type and extent of non-LTE in argon arcs at 0.1-10 bar

A 30-A, 3-mm-diameter, wall-stabilized argon arc with 1% hydrogen is examined spectrometrically at pressures of 0.1-10 bar. Values of T_g, and T_exa diverge as pressure decreases below 5 bar (n_e⩽1×10¹⁷ cm^-3) at r=0. T_exβ is 20-40% larger than the other temperatures. The results are dependent on the transition probability scale used     

低压下直流电弧热等离子体射流电子密度的光谱法测量

采用原子发射光谱仪研究低压直流电弧热喷涂等离子体射流的特性。利用Stark展宽法采集H_β谱线,使用其Δλ_1/2来计算等离子射流中的电子密度,研究了氢气流量、输入功率和探测距离对等离子体射流中电子密度的影响。使用Saha方程计算热等离子体的电离程度,研究了功率/氢气流量与等离子体电离程度的关系。结果表明:电子密度和电离程度随着电流强度的增大而增加;氢气流量增加可以明显提高等离子体射流的能量,但对电离程度影响不大。     

X-ray laser research at the LULI (Palaiseau)

The X-ray laser program at Palaiseau is based on the recombination scheme in lithiumlike ions, which requires a moderate pump power and seems to be promising for the purpose of scaling to shorter wavelengths. In aluminum plasmas, peak gain values of 2-2.5 cm^-1 have been obtained at a wavelength of 105.7 Å corresponding to the 3d -5f transition, 6 ns after the top of a 2 ns laser pulse. The same transition in sulfur is emitted at 65.2 Å and has shown a gain of 1 cm^-1 in a preliminary time-integrated experiment. Simulations using a collisional-radiative model as the postprocessor of a hydrodynamic numerical code predict amplifications for the 3d-4f, 3d-5f, and 4d-5f transitions. A new experiment, in progress at the present time, has been designed to enhance the gain-length product up to 10-15 at 105.7 Å. The recently extended facilities of the LULI make it possible to produce a 6-cm-long plasma column, keeping the flux density at the same level as in the previous experiments     

激光诱导击穿光谱法铁基合金谱线选择研究

内标法是激光诱导击穿光谱(LIBS)最常用的定量分析方法之一。为了提高定量分析精度，研究了谱线强度比的相对波动特性随分析线和内标线之间激发能级差(ΔE)和波长差(Δλ)变化的规律。在局部热力学平衡条件下，建立了考虑等离子体中某元素电子上能级跃迁到下能级产生原子发射谱线的激发能级差、等离子体温度、配分函数和离子密度等强度影响因素的数学模型，对模型中激发能级差对谱线强度相对波动的影响进行了研究。得到在-2 eV<ΔE<2 eV和等离子体温度范围在3 000～15 000 K条件下，谱线强度随着ΔE和T变化的趋势：随着ΔE变大，谱线强度比呈上升，在ΔE=2 eV，T=3 000 K时谱线强度比最大；并且谱线强度比相对波动对ΔE和T敏感，ΔE趋近于零时相对波动变小，T对谱线强度比相对波动影响变化不大，整体趋势平稳。在T=10 000 K时，ΔE<0相对波动比ΔE>0时小，因此理论上优先选择ΔE<0的谱线对。通过理论分析得出|ΔE|越接近于零，谱线强度比相对波动越小。实验装置中采用工作波长1 064 nm，脉冲能量85 mJ，重复频率1 Hz，脉冲宽度13 ns的Nd∶YAG脉冲激光诱导击穿样品；采用工作波长200～975 nm，光学分辨率优于0.05 nm的Andor公司Mechelle 5000光谱仪，配合Andor New iStar型号ICCD采集光谱；利用激光诱导铁基合金等离子体光谱进行验证。实验中，以Fe为内标元素，Cr和Mn为分析元素。筛选NIST谱线库中跃迁概率在106以上的谱线，并优先选择共振线能级差相近的非共振线进行对比分析。结果表明，选择激发能级相近或波长相近的谱线作为分析谱线的原则有一定的局限性。对于Cr和Fe，|ΔE|在0.14和1.51 eV时得到的谱线强度相对标准偏差(RSD)分别为6.7%和4.6%，其谱线强度比理论值和实际值之差分别为1.14和0.59；|Δλ|在11.7和50.8 nm时得到的RSD分别为6.3%和4.4%，其谱线强度比理论值和实际值之差分别为1.69和0.62。分析表明，相比于波长差，激发能级差对Cr/Mn相对波动影响较大。分析元素Cr/Mn与内标元素Fe波长差绝对值不断增大，RSD反而不断减小；在1.50 eV和90 nm较大约束范围内，|ΔE|大的谱线得到的谱线强度比相对波动相对较小，Cr和Fe的RSD最大相差为2.06%；|Δλ|大的谱线得到的谱线强度比相对波动相对较小，Cr和Fe的RSD最大相差为1.35%。由以上实验结果得出，在实际选择分析谱线时，尽量选择激发能级和波长相近的谱线原则有一定的局限性。|ΔE|或|Δλ|大的谱线得到的RSD较小，选择谱线强度比理论值和实际值最接近的谱线可以作为谱线选择依据。另外，选择谱线强度比理论值和实际值最接近的谱线，可以降低谱线强度比相对波动。     

Research into pulsed power-driven recombination lasers

Time-resolved measurements of XUV emissions from recombining Ne and Al plasmas are reported. The DNA/PITHON pulsed-power generator was used to produce hot, dense aluminum and neon plasmas in a Z-pinch configuration. The Al Xl, 4f-3d and 4 d-3p lines at 154.4 and 150.4 Å were observed to be anomalously bright compared to the Al Xl, 4d-2p line. This anomaly, which might be suggestive of recombination lasing, may also be explained by opacity, whereby the optically thick 4→2 lines are reduced in apparent intensity with respect to the 4→3 lines. The Ne X 4-3 line was observed to be spatially localized on axis where emissions from the Ne X 3-2 line were sharply reduced in intensity. On axis, the anomalous brightness of the Ne X 4-3 line suggests a strong inversion     

The importance of photoexcitation to the ionization dynamics of laser-produced carbon plasmas

The influence of temperature and density variations and opacity effects on the ionization dynamics of a spherical carbon plasma are determined. The calculations were done for solid, hollow and absorbing center geometries. The results of these calculations show that there are wide-spread differences in the amount and distribution of resonance line radiation emitted from the hydrogen- and helium-like ionization stages that depend on the model describing the ionization dynamics.     

Soft X-ray enhancement from porous target irradiated by high power sub-nanosecond laser beam and the effect of plasma opacity

In this paper, we investigate numerically the enhancement of the soft continuum X-ray yield emitted from porous aluminum targets irradiated by sub-nanosecond high power pulsed laser beam. The calculations were conducted for two different conditions: (i) ignoring plasma opacity, and (ii) including it in the calculations; and finally the results were compared. In the calculations, the main emission mechanisms were assumed to be the free–bound and free–free (bremsstrahlung) transitions at water windows wavelengths ranges 2.3–4.4 nm and also 12.6–14.6 nm, which is useful for lithography applications. The free–free and bound–free transitions were also considered for calculating the opacity. The results show that for both conditions, the X-ray yield rises with increasing the porosity and the increase rate is almost equal in both cases; however, the calculations are not appropriate for estimating the absolute values of the X-ray yield when the plasma opacity is ignored.     

Multimode simulations without particles in the quasi-opticalgyrotron

A set of coupled nonlinear differential equations, involving the slow amplitude and phase variation for each mode, is used to simulate the multimode dynamics in the quasi-optical gyrotron. The interaction among various modes is mediated by coupling coefficients of known analytic dependence on the normalized current I, the interaction length μ, and the frequency detunings Δ_i corresponding to the competing frequencies ω_i. The equations include all the possible resonant combinations of up to four different frequencies, ω_i-ω_j+ω _k-ω_l≃0, among a set of N participating modes, keeping terms up to fifth order in the wave amplitudes. The formalism is quite general and can be used to study mode competition, the existence of a final steady state and its stability, and its accessibility from given initial conditions. It is shown that when μ/β_⊥≫1, μ can be eliminated as an independent parameter. The control space is then reduced to a new normalized current I and the desynchronism parameters ν_i=Δ_iμ for the interacting frequencies. Numerical simulations for cold beams of various cross sections demonstrate that ν_i is the most important parameter for the system behavior. Overmoding is not determined by the frequency separation δω among the cavity modes per se, but by the separation among the corresponding desynchronism parameters