Laser Heating of Solid Matter by Light-Pressure-Driven Shocks at Ultrarelativistic Intensities

K. U. Akli et al.
Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 165002 – Published 23 April 2008

Abstract

The heating of solid targets irradiated by 5×1020Wcm2, 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.

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  • Received 4 August 2007

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.165002

©2008 American Physical Society

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Vol. 100, Iss. 16 — 25 April 2008

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