Millijoule-level phase-stabilized few-optical-cycle infrared parametric source

Ultrabroadband self-phase-stabilized near-IR pulses have been generated by difference-frequency generation of a filament broadened supercontinuum followed by two-stage optical parametric amplification. Pulses with energy up to 1.2 mJ and duration down to 17 fs are demonstrated. These characteristics make such a source suited as a driver for high-order harmonic generation and isolated attosecond pulse production.     

A phase I, randomized study of combined IL-2 and therapeutic immunisation with antiretroviral therapy

Background  

Fully functional HIV-1-specific CD8 and CD4 effector T-cell responses are vital to the containment of viral activity and disease progression. These responses are lacking in HIV-1-infected patients with progressive disease. We attempted to augment fully functional HIV-1-specific CD8 and CD4 effector T-cell responses in patients with advanced chronic HIV-1 infection.     

Elemental sensitivity in soft x-ray imaging with a laser-plasma source and a color center detector

Elemental sensitivity in soft x-ray imaging of thin foils with known thickness is observed using an ultrafast laser-plasma source and a LiF crystal as detector. Measurements are well reproduced by a simple theoretical model. This technique can be exploited for high spatial resolution, wide field of view imaging in the soft x-ray region, and it is suitable for the characterization of thin objects with thicknesses ranging from hundreds down to tens of nanometers.     

Soft X-ray point source based on a gas pinch

The results of a study of a radiating Z-pinch with a profiled initial gas-density distribution over the z axis are presented. The gas distribution with the density maximum and transverse-size minimum at the discharge-gap center is formed by a pulsed gas valve with a specially designed nozzle. The parameters of X-ray radiation are measured for pinches formed in gaseous neon at currents of up to 200 kA. The experimentally selected gas density ensures the formation of a region with a typical size of less than 1 mm at the discharge-gap center. This region emits X-ray radiation in the keV photon-energy range in a time of less than 5 ns. Prospects for the development of an X-ray source based on this mechanism are discussed.     

Imaging of the angular-dependent coherent-scatter cross section with analyzer crystal: a Monte Carlo simulation

A nontomography approach for the measurement of angular-dependent coherent-scatter cross section of x rays (E?40-80 keV) is described. It is shown that an analyzer crystal, which is proposed to be used for the sampling of the cross section, simultaneously provides information about the location of the scattering volume inside the object. A numerical simulation demonstrates that this method can be applied for nondestructive analysis of an object's internal structure.     

On the interaction of femtosecond laser pulses with cluster targets

The heating of clusters by femtosecond laser pulses is studied theoretically and experimentally. Both the formation of a cluster target and the results of experimental studies of the cluster plasma by the methods of X-ray emission spectroscopy are considered. A numerical model of cluster formation in a supersonic gas jet is proposed. It is shown that detailed studies of two-phase gas-dynamic processes in a nozzle forming the jet give the spatial distributions of all parameters required for the correct calculation of the cluster heating by short laser pulses. Calculations of nozzles of different configurations show that in a number of cases an almost homogeneous cluster target can be formed, whereas in other cases the distributions of parameters prove to be not only inhomogeneous but also even nonmonotonic. A simple physical model of the plasma production by a femtosecond laser pulse and a picosecond prepulse is proposed. It is shown that a comparison of X-ray spectra with detailed calculations of the ion kinetics makes it possible to determine the main parameters of the plasma being produced.     

Numerical Simulation of Plasma Flows in the Interior Cavities of Laser Fusion Targets

This paper deals with a numerical simulation and theoretical investigation of the behavior of plasma flows produced when injecting a laser beam into a target for inertial thermonuclear fusion and absorbing laser radiation in the target internal cavity. Results of two-dimensional numerical calculation are presented for laser beam interaction with the sub critical plasma contained in the gap between two coaxial shells of a laser greenhouse target. The calculations confirm the possibility of initiating a supersonic wave of electron heat conduction in the absorber of the laser greenhouse target.     

Solution of the self-adjoint radiative transfer equation on hybrid computer systems

A new technique for simulating three-dimensional radiative energy transfer for the use in the software designed for the predictive simulation of plasma with high energy density on parallel computers is proposed. A highly scalable algorithm that takes into account the angular dependence of the radiation intensity and is free of the ray effect is developed based on the solution of a second-order equation with a self-adjoint operator. A distinctive feature of this algorithm is a preliminary transformation of rotation to eliminate mixed derivatives with respect to the spatial variables, simplify the structure of the difference operator, and accelerate the convergence of the iterative solution of the equation. It is shown that the proposed method correctly reproduces the limiting cases—isotropic radiation and the directed radiation with a δ-shaped angular distribution.