Laser-driven cylindrical compression of targets for fast electron transport study in warm and dense plasmas
Year: 2011
Authors: Vauzour B., Pyrez F., Volpe L., Lancaster K., Nicolap P., Batani D., Baton SD., Beg F.N., Benedetti C., Brambrink E., Chawla S., Dorchies F., Fourment C., Galimberti M., Gizzi L.A., Heathcote R., Higginson D.P., Hulin S., Jafer R., Koster P., Labate L., MacKinnon AJ., MacPhee A.G., Nazarov W., Pasley J., Regan C., Ribeyre X., Richetta M., Schurtz G., Sgattoni A., Santos J.J.
Autors Affiliation: Centre Lasers Intenses et Applications (CELIA), CNRS, CEA, F-33405 Talence Cedes, France;
Ecole Polytech, CNRS, LULI, UPMC, F-91128 Palaiseau, France;
Univ Milano Bicocca, Dipartimento Fis, I-20126 Milan, Italy;
Rutherford Appleton Lab, Cent Laser Facil, Didcot OX11 0QX, Oxon, England;
Univ Calif San Diego, Dept Mech & Aerosp Engn, La Jolla, CA 92093 USA;
Univ Bologna, Dipartimento Fis, Bologna, Italy;
CNR – Istituto Nazionale di Ottica, Intense Laser Irradiat Lab, Pisa, Italy;
Lawrence Livermore Natl Lab, Livermore, CA 94550 USA;
Univ St Andrews, Sch Chem, St Andrews KY16 9ST, Fife, Scotland;
Univ York, Dept Phys, York YO10 5DD, N Yorkshire, England;
Univ Roma Tor Vergata, Dipartimento Ingn Meccan, Rome, Italy
Abstract: Fast ignition requires a precise knowledge of fast electron propagation in a dense hydrogen plasma. In this context, a dedicated HiPER (High Power laser Energy Research) experiment was performed on the VULCAN laser facility where the propagation of relativistic electron beams through cylindrically compressed plastic targets was studied. In this paper, we characterize the plasma parameters such as temperature and density during the compression of cylindrical polyimide shells filled with CH foams at three different initial densities. X-ray and proton radiography were used to measure the cylinder radius at different stages of the compression. By comparing both diagnostics results with 2D hydrodynamic simulations, we could infer densities from 2 to 11 g/cm(3) and temperatures from 30 to 120 eV at maximum compression at the center of targets. According to the initial foam density, kinetic, coupled (sometimes degenerated) plasmas were obtained. The temporal and spatial evolution of the resulting areal densities and electrical conductivities allow for testing electron transport in a wide range of configurations. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3578346]
Journal/Review: PHYSICS OF PLASMAS
Volume: 18 (4) Pages from: 43108-1 to: 43108-9
More Information: The authors are thankful to V. T. Tikhonchuk for helpful discussions and comments, to the technical staff of the VULCAN laser facility and also to C. Spindloe and H. Lowe at the RAL target fabrication laboratory, for the target assembling and mounting. This work is supported by the Conseil Regional d’Aquitaine under Project No. 34293, by the European support program Marie Curie IRSES Project No. 230777, and by the HiPER project and Preparatory Phase Funding Agencies (EC, MSMT, and STFC).KeyWords: fast ignition; matter; penetration; crystals; DOI: 10.1063/1.3578346ImpactFactor: 2.147Citations: 21data from “WEB OF SCIENCE” (of Thomson Reuters) are update at: 2024-11-24References taken from IsiWeb of Knowledge: (subscribers only)Connecting to view paper tab on IsiWeb: Click hereConnecting to view citations from IsiWeb: Click here
