PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

O L Landen

Publications and source records attributed to O L Landen.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

Measuring E and B fields in laser-produced plasmas with monoenergetic proton radiography.

Electromagnetic (E/B) fields generated by the interaction with plasmas of long-pulse, low-intensity laser beams relevant to inertial confinement fusion have been measured for the first time using novel monoenergetic proton radiography methods. High-resolution, time-gated radiography images of a plastic foil driven by a 10(14) W/cm(2) laser implied B fields of approximately 0.5 MG and E fields of approximately 1.5 x 10(8) V/m. Simulations of these experiments with LASNEX+LSP have been performed and are in overall (though not exact) agreement with the data both for field strengths and for spatial distributions; this is the first direct experimental test of the laser-generated B-field package in LASNEX. The experiments also demonstrated that laser phase plates substantially reduce medium-scale chaotic field structure.

Journal Article↗

Generalized x-ray scattering cross section from nonequilibrium plasmas.

We propose a modified x-ray form factor that describes the scattering cross section in warm dense matter valid for both the plasma and the solid (crystalline) state. Our model accounts for the effect of lattice correlations on the electron-electron dynamic structure, as well as provides a smooth transition between the solid and the plasma scattering cross sections. In addition, we generalize the expression of the dynamic structure in the case of a two-temperature system (with different electron and ion temperatures). This work provides a unified description of the x-ray scattering processes in warm and dense matter, as the one encountered in inertial confinement fusion, laboratory astrophysics, material science, and high-energy density physics and it can be used to verify temperature relaxation mechanisms in such environments.

Journal Article↗

Radiation-driven hydrodynamics of high- hohlraums on the national ignition facility.

The first hohlraum experiments on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) using the initial four laser beams tested radiation temperature limits imposed by plasma filling. For a variety of hohlraum sizes and pulse lengths, the measured x-ray flux shows signatures of filling that coincide with hard x-ray emission from plasma streaming out of the hohlraum. These observations agree with hydrodynamic simulations and with an analytical model that includes hydrodynamic and coronal radiative losses. The modeling predicts radiation temperature limits with full NIF (1.8 MJ), greater, and of longer duration than required for ignition hohlraums.

Journal Article↗

Measurement of the absolute hohlraum-wall albedo under ignition foot drive conditions.

We present measurements of the absolute albedos of hohlraums made from gold or from high-Z mixtures. The measurements are performed over the range of radiation temperatures (70-100 eV) expected during the foot of an indirect-drive temporally shaped ignition laser pulse, where accurate knowledge of the wall albedo (i.e., soft x-ray wall reemission) is most critical for determining capsule radiation symmetry. We find that the gold albedo agrees well with calculations using the supertransition array opacity model, potentially providing additional margin for inertial confinement fusion ignition.

Journal Article↗

Demonstration of spectrally resolved x-ray scattering in dense plasmas.

We present the first spectrally resolved x-ray scattering measurements from solid-density plasmas. The scattering spectra show the broadened Compton down-shifted feature allowing us to determine the electron temperature and density with high accuracy. In the low temperature limit, our data indicate that the ionization balance reflects the electrons in the conduction band consistent with calculations that include quantum mechanical corrections to the interaction potential.

Journal Article↗

Theoretical model of x-ray scattering as a dense matter probe.

We present analytical expressions for the dynamic structure factor, or form factor S(k,omega), which is the quantity describing the x-ray cross section from a dense plasma or a simple liquid. Our results, based on the random phase approximation for the treatment on the charged particle coupling, can be applied to describe scattering from either weakly coupled classical plasmas or degenerate electron liquids. Our form factor correctly reproduces the Compton energy down-shift and the known Fermi-Dirac electron velocity distribution for S(k,omega) in the case of a cold degenerate plasma. The usual concept of scattering parameter is also reinterpreted for the degenerate case in order to include the effect of the Thomas-Fermi screening. The results shown in this work can be applied to interpreting x-ray scattering in warm dense plasmas occurring in inertial confinement fusion experiments or for the modeling of solid density matter found in the interior of planets.

Journal Article↗

Symmetric inertial-confinement-fusion-capsule implosions in a double-z-pinch-driven hohlraum.

An inertial-confinement-fusion (ICF) concept using two 60-MA Z pinches to drive a cylindrical hohlraum to 220 eV has been recently proposed. The first capsule implosions relevant to this concept have been performed at the same physical scale with a lower 20-MA current, yielding a 70+/-5 eV capsule drive. The capsule shell shape implies a polar radiation symmetry, the first high-accuracy measurement of this type in a pulsed-power-driven ICF configuration, within a factor of 1.6-4 of that required for scaling to ignition. The convergence ratio of 14-21 is to date the highest in any pulsed-power ICF system.

Journal Article↗

Observation of saturation of energy transfer between copropagating beams in a flowing plasma.

Experiments demonstrate energy and power transfer between copropagating, same frequency, beams crossing at a small angle in a plasma with a Mach 1 flow. The process is interpreted as amplification of the low intensity probe beam by the stimulated scatter of the high intensity pump beam. The observed probe amplification increases slowly with pump intensity and decreases with probe intensity, indicative of saturation limiting the energy and power transfer due to ion-wave nonlinearities and localized pump depletion. The results are consistent with numerical modeling including ion-wave nonlinearities.

Journal Article↗

Hohlraum-driven high-convergence implosion experiments with multiple beam cones on the omega laser facility.

High-convergence implosion experiments have been performed on the Omega laser facility [T.R. Boehly, Opt. Commun. 133, 495 (1997)]] using cylindrical gold hohlraums with 40 drive beams arranged into multiple cones. These experiments make use of improved hohlraum radiation symmetry conditions [T.J. Murphy, Phys. Rev. Lett. 81, 108 (1998)]] to demonstrate near predicted primary (2.45 MeV) neutron production from single-shell implosions with measured deuterium fuel convergence ratios exceeding 20 at an ignition-relevant hohlraum case-to-capsule ratio approximately 3.

Journal Article↗

Efficient multi-keV underdense laser-produced plasma radiators.

Novel, efficient x-ray sources have been created by supersonically heating a large volume of Xe gas. A laser-induced bleaching wave quickly ionizes the high- Z gas, and the resulting plasma emits x rays. This method significantly improves the production of hard x rays because less energy is lost to kinetic energy and sub-keV x rays. The conversion efficiency of laser energy into L-shell radiation between 4-7 keV is measured at approximately 10%, an order of magnitude higher than efficiencies measured from solid disk targets. This higher flux enables material testing and backlighting in new regimes and scales well to future high-powered lasers.

Journal Article↗