Laser heating of solid matter by light-pressure-driven shocks at ultrarelativistic intensities

Journal article

The heating of solid targets irradiated by 5×1020Wcm-2, 0.8 ps, 1.05μm wavelength laser light is studied by x-ray spectroscopy of the K-shell emission from thin layers of Ni, Mo, and V. A surface layer is heated to ∼5keV with an axial temperature gradient of 0.6μm scale length. Images of Ni Lyα show the hot region has ≤25μm diameter. These data are consistent with collisional particle-in-cell simulations using preformed plasma density profiles from hydrodynamic modeling which show that the >100Gbar light pressure compresses the preformed plasma and drives a shock into the solid, heating a thin layer. © 2008 The American Physical Society.

Authors: Akli, K; Hansen, S; Kemp, A; Freeman, R; Beg, F

• Journal: Physical Review Letters
• Volume: 100
• Issue: 16
• Publication date: 2008-04-23
• DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.165002
• EISSN: 1079-7114
• ISSN: 0031-9007
• Language: English