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This open access book (Volume 2) is part of the series "The Physics of Laser Plasmas and Applications." It serves as an introduction to the physics of compressible hydrodynamics, which is used to describe the temporal evolution of plasmas generated by intense laser irradiation of solid surfaces. For the benefit of students and young researchers, the book presents the fundamental equations and provides a comprehensible explanation of solutions to intricate fluid phenomena. It builds upon the concept of plasma generation through the heating of matter via the classical absorption of a laser, as expounded in Volume 1. The high-temperature plasma resulting from the laser interaction manifests in diverse hydrodynamic occurrences like shock waves and expansion waves. The initial sections of this book expound the essentials of compressible hydrodynamics, magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), and the physics of shock waves. The transfer of laser energy within an expanding plasma towards regions of higher density is achieved through electron and X-ray transport mechanisms. In both instances, conventional diffusion models prove inadequate, necessitating mathematical frameworks founded on the Boltzmann equation. The conveyed energy engenders ablation pressure, equivalent to tens of millions of atmospheres, on the solid surface. This pressure initiates powerful shock waves propagating through the solid material. The propagation of these shock waves is delineated for scenarios involving planar and spherical geometries. The text also introduces various solutions pertaining to convergent and divergent shocks in spherical geometries using self-similar models. The discourse then shifts towards ionization and related atomic processes, which govern the dynamics of plasmas created by laser irradiation of mid-Z and high-Z solids. The quantum mechanics of partially ionized atoms and their associated atomic processes are elucidated. Concluding the book is an exploration of the physics of warm dense matter (WDM) – an electron system characterized by quantum-mechanical, many-body interactions. The study of high-density plasmas featuring temperatures around 1 eV is undertaken through the lens of density functional theory (DFT). The theoretical breakdown of experimental data acquired via the X-ray free electron laser (X-FEL) is also provided. In essence, this second volume of the series amalgamates a comprehensive understanding of compressible hydrodynamics, shock wave physics, ionization processes, energy transfer, and the realm of warm dense matter. It equips readers to delve into the intricacies of plasma physics and laser interactions while utilizing modern theoretical frameworks and experimental methodologies. This is an open access book.

This book presents advances in X-ray spectroscopy of plasmas interacting with a laser radiation and laser-induced plasmas. This research is practically important for the quest for the controlled nuclear fusion, for studying matter under extreme conditions, for providing atomic reference data, for laboratory modelling of physical processes in astrophysical objects, and for a better understanding of intense laser-plasma interactions.Advances in X-Ray Spectroscopy of Laser Plasmas significantly expands the scope of practical applications of X-ray spectroscopy of laser plasmas compared to traditional X-ray diagnostics of laser plasmas. The recent advances presented in this text make it possible to study the development of Langmuir waves, ion acoustic waves, transverse electromagnetic waves, parametric decay instabilities, as well as the rates of charge exchange between multicharged ions. Key Features Presents novel methods of X-Ray spectroscopy for both non-relativistic and relativistic laser-plasma interactions Includes methods of the X-Ray spectroscopy for measuring ultra-intense magnetic fields in laser plasmas Examines advanced designs of plasma-tunable X-ray lasers Demonstrates various analytical formalisms underlying the advances described in the book

The series of books discusses the physics of laser and matter interaction, fluid dynamics of high-temperature and high-density compressible plasma, and kinetic phenomena and particle dynamics in laser-produced plasma. The book (Vol.1) gives the physics of intense-laser absorption in matter and/or plasma in non-relativistic and relativistic laser-intensity regime. In many cases, it is explained with clear images of physics so that an intuitive understanding of individual physics is possible for non-specialists. For intense-laser of 1013-16 W/cm2, the laser energy is mainly absorbed via collisional process, where the oscillation energy is converted to thermal energy by non-adiabatic Coulomb collision with the ions. Collisionless interactions with the collective modes in plasma are also described. The main topics are the interaction of ultra-intense laser and plasma for the intensity near and over 1018W/cm2. In such regime, relativistic dynamics become essential. A new physics appears due to the relativistic effects, such as mass correction, relativistic nonlinear force, chaos physics of particle motions, and so on. The book provides clearly the theoretical base for challenging the laser-plasma interaction physics in the wide range of power lasers. It is suitable as a textbook for upper-undergraduate and graduate students as well as for readers who want to understand the whole physics structure about what happen when an intense-laser irradiates any materials including solids, gas etc. Explaining the physics intuitively without complicated mathematics, it is also a valuable resource for engineering students and researchers as well as for self-study.

It is interesting to analyze the application of mid-infrared (MIR, 1000-5000 nm) radiation to study the dynamics of the nonlinear optical response of ablated molecular structures compared with commonly used Ti: sapphire lasers for plasma high-order harmonic generation (HHG), including the studies of extended harmonics at a comparable conversion efficiency with shorter wavelength laser sources, and a search for new opportunities in improvement of the HHG conversion efficiency in the mid-IR range, such as the application of clustered molecules. This book shows the most recent findings of various new schemes of the application of MIR pulses for HHG in laser-produced low-ionised, low-density plasma plumes, which could be dubbed for simplicity as'plasma harmonics'. The use of any element of the periodic table, as well as thousands of complex samples that exist as solids largely extends the range of materials employed, whereas only a few rare gases are typically available for gas HHG. The exploration of practically any solid-state material through the nonlinear spectroscopy comprising laser ablation and harmonic generation can be considered as a new tool for materials science. Thus the MIR pump based laser-ablation-induced high-order harmonic generation spectroscopy can be considered a new method for the study of materials and one of most important applications of plasma HHG.

Most of this book was written before October 1973. Thus the statements concerning the energy crisis are now dated, but remain valid nevertheless. However, the term'energy crisis'is no longer the unusual new concept it was when the material was written; it is, rather, a commonplace expression for a condition with which we are all only too familiar. The purpose of this book is to point out that the science and technology of laser-induced nuclear fusion are an extraordinary subject, which in some way not yet completely clear can solve the problem of gaining a pollution-free and really inexhaustible supply of inexpensive energy from the heavy hydrogen (deuterium) atoms found in all terrestrial waters. The concept is very obvious and very simple: To heat solid deuterium or mixtures of deuterium and tritium (superheavy hydrogen) by laser pulses so rapidly that despite the resulting expansion and cooling there still take place so many nuclear fusion reactions tnat the energy produced is greater than the laser energy that had to be applied. Compression of the plasma by the laser radiation itself is a more sophisticated refinement of the process, but one which at the present stage of laser cechnology is needed for the rapid realization of a laser-fusion reactor for power generation. This concept of compression can also be applied to the development of completely safe reactors with controlled microexplosions of laser-compressed fissionable materials such as uranium and even boron, which fission completely safely into nonradioactive helium atoms.

Laser-driven proton beams are still in their infancy but already have some outstanding attributes compared to those produced in conventional accelerators. One such attribute is the typically low beam emittance. This allows excellent resolution in imaging applications like proton radiography. This thesis describes a novel imaging technique - the proton streak camera - that the author developed and first used to measure both the spatial and temporal evolution of ultra-strong electrical fields in laser-driven plasmas. Such investigations are of paramount importance for the understanding of laser-plasma interactions and, thus, for optimization of laser-driven particle acceleration. In particular, the present work investigated micrometer-sized spherical targets after laser irradiation. The confined geometry of plasmas and fields was found to influence the kinetic energy and spatial distribution of accelerated ions. This could be shown both in experimental radiography images and and in numerical simulations, one of which was selected for the cover page of Physical Review Letters.

This volume reports investigations which form part of a major series of theoretical and experimental studies being carried out in the Laboratory of Low-Temperature Plasma Optics at the Lebedev Physics Institute in Moscow. The papers give the results of systematic investigations of the chemical composition and of the electrical and optical properties of discharge plasmas, and also of populations of laser levels. Reliable and detailed information is given on the dissociation of carbon dioxide gas in discharges; the nature of the velocity distribution function, average energies, and densities of electrons; and populations and vibrational temperatures of molecules in cw CO and CO lasers. The material in this volume is intended for specialists in quantum electronics and low­ temperature plasma diagnostics.