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.     

80 Ev Imaging of Laser Produced Plasmas for Different Z Materials at 1.06, 0.53 and 0.26 μM

The VUV emissions (155 Å) of laser produced plasma on massive plane targets with different Z numbers are recorded according three laser wavelengths with a pinhole camera associated with a multilayered mirror. The 2D dimensions of these VUV images are compared with the sizes of the focal spots through the 1 Kev pinhole image sizes recorded at the same laser intensity (510¹⁴ W/cm², 600 ps). The lateral and axial dimensions of the VUV emissions of Al, Cu, Au plasmas are analyzed and give informations on the radiations-hydrodynamic behavior of Laser heated plane targets with respect to the wavelength of the incident laser.     

Line tension action on 2D networks of gold nanoparticles obtained by the Bubble Deposition Method

The self-assembling properties of surfactant black films are used to obtain sizeable, dense islands of nanoparticles. Using the "Bubble Deposition Method" (BDM) these films are transferred onto solid substrates. The organisation within the islands evolves when the films are allowed to equilibrate before deposition. The results on model gold particles are discussed in terms of line tension.     

Recombination of doubly ionized atoms in the afterglow of a helium plasma produced by laser

Experimental investigation of the collisional-radiative decay coefficient of doubly ionized helium atoms in a helium plasma produced by laser is reported. Comparison of our experimental values with the theoretical values determined by Drawin-Emard is made. A reasonable agreement is obtained if we take into account the optical thickness of the plasma.     

Molecular transfer of surfactant bilayers: widening the range of substrates

Handling nanometer-thick films and nano-objects remains a challenge. Applying self-assembly properties of surfactants to nanomaterials manipulation may be the key to the fast, easy, cost-effective growth of 2D and 3D nanostructures. Newton black films (NBFs) are self-assembled bilayers of surfactant, well-organized, but fragile objects. To render such films amenable to practical applications, it is necessary to find ways to transfer them onto solid substrates. A method developed recently to transfer NBFs onto a solid substrate while preserving their molecular organization (Benattar, J.-J.; Nedyalkov, M.; Lee, F. K.; Tsui, O. K. C. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2006, 45, 4186) is broadened here to different surfaces. The method requires hydrophobic, planar, atomically smooth surfaces. This study presents the adhesion of a fluorinated NBF surfactant onto hydrophobically treated silica and silicon surfaces (with etching or silanization). The structures of the free-standing film, bare substrates, and transferred films are investigated using X-ray reflectivity. The homogeneity of the surfaces before and after bilayer deposition is examined by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Multiple transfers are tested and described for the future development of more complex architectures involving many surfactant layers and inserted nanosized objects.     

Free-standing films of fluorinated surfactants as 2D matrices for organizing detergent-solubilized membrane proteins

The possibility of organizing detergent-solubilized membrane proteins in a plane within the core of Newton black films (NBFs) formed from fluorinated surfactants has been investigated. Fluorinated surfactants have the interesting characteristics of being poorly miscible with detergents and highly surface-active. As a result, when a membrane protein-the transmembrane domain of OmpA (tOmpA)-solubilized by the nonionic detergent C8E4 (tetraethylene glycol monooctyl ether) was injected under a monolayer of fluorinated surfactant, C8E4 and tOmpA/C8E4 complexes remained confined to the subphase. Vertical, macroscopic NBFs were drawn, and their structure was investigated by means of X-ray reflectivity. Depending on experimental conditions, the protein was shown to organize into either one or two monolayers stabilized by two monolayers of fluorinated surfactant. Two different mechanisms of protein insertion were investigated: (i) attachment of polyhistidine-tagged tOmpA/C8E4 complexes to nickel-bearing polar groups born by a fluorinated surfactant and (ii) spontaneous diffusion into the surfactant films. Possible applications are discussed.     

Characterization of the thermal front inside a 2ω laser produced plasma by its emission in the XUV radiation range

We present for the first time an XUV imaging of a laser produced plasma in the range of 150 Å wavelength. For the moderate Z material used (Al), the more intense observed emissions come from the lithium-like ionized species. The imaging of the spatial emission of these species gives the signature of the thermal front location inside the plasma. The position and the extension of this emission characterize the location and the sharpness of the temperature gradient plasma.     

Implosion dynamics of a radiative composite Z-pinch

Two-dimensional simulation of a composite Z-pinch was performed by the complete radiative magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) code ZETA including detailed calculation of equations of state, spectral properties of materials, and radiation transport in non-local thermodynamic equilibrium multicharged ions plasma. The initial geometry, the substance components, and the electric current through the Z-pinch were similar to the joint experiment set up JEX-94 at Angara-5 facility. The geometry was: annular argon gas puff with inner and outer diameter of a nozzle cross section, 3 cm and 3.4 cm, respectively, and specific mass of 80 μg/cm. Inside it along the axis a foam cylinder 30% KCl in agar-agar with total mass 60 μg and diameter 1 mm was put. The initial gas distribution was modelled with a divergence of a jet along the Z-axis. A coupling of the Z-pinch with the electric current generator was modelled by an electrical circuit with a given electromagnetic wave, a resistance, an inductance, and a variable load (Z-pinch) similar to the Angara-5-1 output parameters. During the plasma implosion the total current reached the value of 3 MA at a time of 85 ns from the voltage start. Such current amplitude is much less than through the matched load (up to 4 MA as a rule): The plasma implosion is accompanied by the development of different types of short and long wave instabilities (thermal, radiative, nonisothermal, and MHD Rayleigh-Taylor modes). In this report, the detailed plasma implosion dynamics, the influence of instabilities, and the spectral radiation yield are discussed, and a comparison with the experimental results is done     

Time resolved schlieren study of highly refracting CO2 laser produced plasma

We report temporal evolution of high intensity CO₂ produced plasmas by introducing a Schlieren technique. The method allows the density step produced by radiation pressure to be followed during the pulse duration. We deduce the expansion velocity of the critical layer for different intensities.