Search

A novel concept for using hybrid targets to create multi-keV X-ray sources was tested on the GEKKO XII facility of the OSAKA University and on the OMEGA facility of the University of Rochester. The sources were made via laser irradiation of a titanium foil placed at the end of a plastic cylinder, filled with a very low-density (2 and 5 mg/cm3) silicon-dioxide aerogel that was designed to control the longitudinal expansion of the titanium plasma. Preliminary calculations were used to determine optimal conditions for the aerogel density, cylinder diameter and length that maximize multi-keV X-ray emission. The X-ray emission power was measured on OMEGA using absolutely calibrated broad-band, diode-based CEA diagnostics, in addition to high resolution crystal spectrometers. On GEKKO XII, the heat wave propagation velocity in the aerogel was also measured with an X-ray framing camera. The advantage of using the thermal wave generated in the aerogel to heat a solid material to increase the conversion efficiency has not been fully demonstrated in these experiments. However, it was shown that a 5 mg/cm3 aerogel placed in front of a titanium foil can improve the x-ray conversion efficiency with respect to the case of 2 mg/cm3 for some target diameter and length.

Optical constants of amorphous have been calculated by the Kramers-Kronig analysis in the continuous spectral region including , O K and Si K absorption edges from the reflection spectra measured using synchrotron radiation. It is the first experiment carried out in such a wide energy region with the same sample. It has been found that for extrapolation of the experimental curve in the high energy region, where the photon energy exceeds the ionization potential of the Si K edge, the relation can be used for energies such that at small grazing angles.

The feasibility of efficient X-ray sources for radiography on the LMJ (Laser MegaJoule) in the multi-kJ/ns range was demonstrated on the OMEGA laser facility (Univ. Rochester) from 2002 to 2004 [1,2]. We significantly enhanced the conversion efficiency of titanium (4–6 keV), copper (8–10 keV) and germanium (9–13 keV) foils by using an optimized pre-pulse/pulse combination. Since higher X-ray energy and therefore electronic temperature need hydroconfinement, plastic cylindrical hohlraums internally coated with titanium, copper and germanium with various OMEGA beam configurations were successfully tested from 2005 to 2009 [3–5]. In addition, many shots with metal-doped aerogel (Ti, Fe, Ge) were tested on OMEGA [6].Recently we tested a new concept of “HYBRID sources” based on the combination of a thin titanium foil at the exit hole of a plastic cylinder filled with very low density SiO 2 aerogel (2 and 5 mg/cc). The benefit of the underdense medium is, first, to transport the laser energy to the titanium foil after its conversion into a supersonic ionization front and, second, to prevent foil expansion and excessive kinetic energy losses by longitudinal hydroconfinement.

In 2009 a series of metal-lined hohlraums were tested on the Omega laser facility. The main aims of the campaign were to improve our understanding of the multi-keV energy production and our capability to numerically reproduce the measured conversion efficiencies (CE's). Two studies have been primarily planned: the effect of the metallic plasma mean ionization states and that of hydrodynamics. Six targets were experimented for which the metallic materials (titanium, copper, germanium), the cavity diameter, and the irradiation energy were varied. Here we compare experimental and calculated results. The numerical simulations are performed with the 2D hydro-radiative code FCI2. For all the cavities, the measured multi-keV x-ray powers versus time are qualitatively well reproduced by the simulations, indicating that hohlraum hydrodynamics seems to be well calculated. But we have an underestimation by a factor of ∼2 for the calculated CEs versus experimental values for titanium and copper hohlraums. By contrast there is a good agreement between measurements and calculations for the germanium hohlraum. To explain these results, we have calculated off-line integrated emissivities for couples of (ρ, Te) values contributing to the multi-keV production with several non-local-thermal-equilibrium (NLTE) atomic physics models.

should be replaced by Table I andFigure 1 below.Modified sentences are the followings. Conversion effi-ciencies (CEs) obtained from titanium L-type hohlraum are3.6% and more than 7% for the S-type hohlraum with thesquared laser pulse shape. The Ti-halfraum gives a CE of6.7%, very comparable to the S-type hohlraum ones. HEN-WAY spectrometer gives higher values than DMX, and as aconsequence, the argument of LEH apparent size is not validanymore. For titanium, conversion efficiencies are up to!7% into 4p integrating between 4.6 and 6.5 keV, when alarge-inner-diameter hohlraum is used with a squared laserpulse shape. As titanium emitters at 4.7 keV, lined hohl-raums are less efficient than gas targets, which are consid-ered as an upper limit for x-ray yields since their low densityallows good laser absorption and small kinetic losses. Tita-nium-hohlraum CEs are comparable than those fromexploded foils.

As multi-keV x-ray radiators, hohlraums and halfraums with inner walls coated with metallic materials (called liner) have been tested for the first time with laser as the energy drive. For titanium, conversion efficiencies (CEs) are up to ∼14% for emission into 4π, integrating between 4.6 and 6.5 keV when a large diameter hohlraum is used. Germanium CE is ∼0.8% into 4π between 9 and 13 keV. The highest CEs have been obtained with a 1 ns squared pulse and phase plates giving laser absorption near 99%. These high CEs are due to long-lasting, good plasma conditions for multi-keV x-ray production maintained by plasma confinement inside the plastic cylinder and plasma collision leading to a burst of x rays at a time that depends on target size. As photon emitters at 4.7 keV, titanium-lined hohlraums are the most efficient solid targets and data are close to CEs for gas targets, which are considered as the upper limit for x-ray yields since their low density allows good laser absorption and low kinetics losses....

Feasability of efficient X-ray sources for LMJ (LaserMegaJoule) targets radiography in the multi-keV/ns regime was demonstrated on OMEGA laser facility (University of Rochester) from 2002 to 2004 [1][2][3]. We significantly enhanced the conversion efficiency of titanium, copper and germanium foils using an optimized prepulse/pulse combination [4]. Since higher X-ray energy and therefore high electronic temperature require more confinement, we built and successfully tested in 2005, plastic cylindrical hohlraums internally coated with titanium in various OMEGA beam configurations, pulse types (with and without prepulse) and target designs. The conversion efficiency (CE), depends on hohlraum length and diameter and the highest CE was measured above 17%, which is better than any other x-ray sources in this photon energy range (i.e. 4.7 keV). The best experimental setup was a 2-cone irradiation scheme without prepulse i.e. the simplest and the most economic configuration in view of radiographic purposes. These studies were carried on in february 2007 with Ge-lined hohlraums and Ti-lined halfraums. We describe and show comparisons between experimental results (time integrated and resolved x-ray imaging, pinholes and x-ray diode) with 2D hydrorad simulations.