Recent results from experimental studies on laser-plasma coupling in a shock ignition relevant regime
Year: 2013
Authors: Koester P., Antonelli L., Atzeni S., Badziak J., Baffigi F., Batani D., Cecchetti C.A., Chodukowski T., Consoli F., Cristoforetti G., De Angelis R., Folpini G., Gizzi LA., Kalinowska Z., Krousky E., Kucharik M., Labate L., Levato T., Liska R., Malka G., Maheut Y., Marocchino A., Nicolai P., O’Dell T., Parys P., Pisarczyk T., Raczka P., Renner O., Rhee Y.J., Ribeyre X., Richetta M., Rosinski M., Ryc L., Skala J., Schiavi A., Schurtz G., Smid M., Spindloe C., Ullschmied J., Wolowski J., Zaras A.
Autors Affiliation: Intense Laser Irradiation Laboratory, INO-CNR, Pisa, Italy; Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale, University of Rome ‘Tor Vergata’, Rome, Italy; Universite Bordeaux, CNRS, CEA, CELIA (Centre Lasers Intenses et Applications), UMR 5107, F-33405 Talence, France; Dipartimento SBAI, Universita di Roma ‘La Sapienza’ and CNISM, Italy; Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion, Warsaw, Poland; Associazione ENEA-Euratom sulla Fusione, Frascati, Italy; Dipartimento di Fisica ‘G. Occhialini’, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy; Institute of Physics, ASCR, Prague, Czech Republic; Czech Technical University, FNSPE, Prague, Czech Republic; Scitech Precision, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, Oxon, UK; Nuclear Data Center, KAERI, Korea 12 Institute of Plasma Physics ASCR, Prague, Czech Republic
Abstract: Shock ignition (SI) is an appealing approach in the inertial confinement scenario for the ignition and burn of a pre-compressed fusion pellet. In this scheme, a strong converging shock is launched by laser irradiation at an intensity I λ2 >1015W cm−2µm2 at the end of the compression phase. In this intensity regime, laser–plasma
interactions are characterized by the onset of a variety of instabilities, including stimulated Raman scattering, Brillouin scattering and the two plasmon decay, accompanied by the generation of a population of fast electrons.
The effect of the fast electrons on the efficiency of the shock wave production is investigated in a series of dedicated experiments at the Prague Asterix Laser Facility (PALS).
We study the laser-plasma coupling in a SI relevant regime in a planar geometry by creating an extended preformed plasma with a laser beam at similar to 7 x 10(13) W cm(-2) (250 ps, 1315 nm). A strong shock is launched by irradiation with a second laser beam at intensities in the range 10(15)-10(16) W cm(-2) (250 ps, 438 nm) at various delays with respect to the first beam. The pre-plasma is characterized using x-ray spectroscopy, ion diagnostics and interferometry. Spectroscopy and calorimetry of the backscattered radiation is performed in the spectral range 250-850 nm, including (3/2)omega, omega and omega/2 emission. The fast electron production is characterized through spectroscopy and imaging of the K alpha emission. Information on the shock pressure is obtained using shock breakout chronometry and measurements of the craters produced by the shock in a massive target.
Preliminary results show that the backscattered energy is in the range 3-15%, mainly due to backscattered light at the laser wavelength (438 nm), which increases with increasing the delay between the two laser beams. The values of the peak shock pressures inferred from the shock breakout times are lower than expected from 2D numerical simulations. The same simulations reveal that the 2D effects play a major role in these experiments, with the laser spot size comparable with the distance between critical and ablation layers.
We study the laser–plasma coupling in a SI relevant regime in a planar geometry by creating an extended preformed plasma with a laser beam at ∼7×1013W cm−2 (250 ps, 1315 nm). A strong shock is launched by irradiation with a second laser beam at intensities in the range 1015–1016W cm−2 (250 ps, 438 nm) at various delays with respect to the first beam. The pre-plasma is characterized using x-ray spectroscopy, ion diagnostics and interferometry. Spectroscopy and calorimetry of the backscattered radiation is performed in the spectral range 250–850 nm, including (3/2)ω, ω and ω/2 emission. The fast electron production is characterized through spectroscopy and imaging of the Kα emission. Information on the shock pressure is obtained using shock breakout chronometry and measurements of the craters produced by the shock in a massive target.
Preliminary results show that the backscattered energy is in the range 3–15%, mainly due to backscattered light at the laser wavelength (438 nm), which increases with increasing the delay between the two laser beams.
The values of the peak shock pressures inferred from the shock breakout times are lower than expected from 2D numerical simulations. The same simulations reveal that the 2D effects play a major role in these experiments, with the laser spot size comparable with the distance between critical and ablation layers.
Journal/Review: PLASMA PHYSICS AND CONTROLLED FUSION
Volume: 55 (12) Pages from: 124045 to: 124045
KeyWords: Plasma; Laser; FusionDOI: 10.1088/0741-3335/55/12/124045Citations: 31data from “WEB OF SCIENCE” (of Thomson Reuters) are update at: 2024-11-17References taken from IsiWeb of Knowledge: (subscribers only)Connecting to view paper tab on IsiWeb: Click hereConnecting to view citations from IsiWeb: Click here