Generation and characterization of millimeter-scale plasmas for the research of laser plasma interactions on Shenguang-III prototype

In order to produce millimeter-scale plasmas for the research of laser-plasma interactions (LPIs), gasbag target is designed and tested on Shenguang-III prototype laser facility. The x-ray pinhole images show that millimeter-scale plasmas are produced with the gasbag. The electron temperature inferred from the stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) spectrum is about 1.6 keV. The SRS spectrum also indicates that the electron density has a flat region within the duration of 200 ps. The obvious differences between the results of the gasbag and that of the void half hohlraum show the feasibility of the gasbag target in creating millimeter-scale plasmas. The LPIs in these millimeter-scale plasmas may partially mimic those in the ignition condition because the duration of the existence of a flat plasma density is much larger than the growth time of the two main instabilities, i.e., SRS and stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS). So we make the conclusion that the gasbag target can be used to research the large-scale LPIs.