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Gas jets accelerated through a linear supersonic and a conical nozzle, comprising a monomer/cluster mix, were characterized at UNR using a Mach-Zehnder type interferometer and Rayleigh scattering. A comparison of the two nozzle types is presented, showing that the linear nozzle produces gas jets of an order of magnitude denser than the conical nozzle. The linear gas jets of Ar, Kr, and Xe as well as triple mixtures with different percentages of each of the aforementioned gases were characterized. The densest gas jets used Ar as the target gas, while the least dense jets came from Kr. Cluster radii of the pure gases were measured, and Xe gas jets were found to produce the largest gas clusters. A study of X-ray generation by gas jet-laser plasma was performed at the UNR Leopard laser (1.057 μm, 350 fs, ∼1019 W/cm2) on the linear nozzle. The gas jets were irradiated with a high-intensity sub-ps laser pulse. An absolute X-ray output of the laser-gas jet interactions measured by the calibrated PCDs is presented and show that triple mixtures of Xe, Kr, and Ar each exhibited a higher X-ray yield compared to the pure gases. A strong anisotropy of X-ray radiation with respect to laser beam polarization direction is observed in all the gas jets. In fact, this anisotropy is different in three spectral regions (>1.4, 3.5 and 9 keV). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many aspects of physical phenomena occurring when an intense laser pulse with subpicosecond duration and an intensity of 1018-1019W/cm² heats an underdense plasma in a supersonic clustered gas jet are studied to determine the relative contribution of thermal and nonthermal processes to soft- and hard-x-ray emission from debris-free plasmas. Experiments were performed at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) Leopard laser operated with a 15-J, 350-fs pulse and different pulse contrasts (107 or 105). The supersonic linear (elongated) nozzle generated Xe cluster-monomer gas jets as well as jets with Kr-Ar or Xe-Kr-Ar mixtures with densities of 1018-1019cm-3. Prior to laser heating experiments, all jets were probed with optical interferometry and Rayleigh scattering to measure jet density and cluster distribution parameters. The supersonic linear jet provides the capability to study the anisotropy of x-ray yield from laser plasma and also laser beam self-focusing in plasma, which leads to efficient x-ray generation. Plasma diagnostics included x-ray diodes, pinhole cameras, and spectrometers. Jet signatures of x-ray emission from pure Xe gas, as well as from a mixture with Ar and Kr, was found to be very different. The most intense x-ray emission in the 1-9 KeV spectral region was observed from gas mixtures rather than pure Xe. Also, this x-ray emission was strongly anisotropic with respect to the direction of laser beam polarization. Non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (Non-LTE) models have been implemented to analyze the x-ray spectra to determine the plasma temperature and election density. Evidence of electron beam generation in the supersonic jet plasma was found. The influence of the subpicosecond laser pulse contrast (a ratio between the laser peak intensity and pedestal pulse intensity) on the jets' x-ray emission characteristics is discussed. Surprisingly, it was found that the x-ray yield was not sensitive to the prepulse contrast ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]