We report the observation of subpicosecond terahertz (T-ray) pulses with energies ≥460 μJ from a laser-driven ion accelerator, thus rendering the peak power of the source higher even than that of state-of-the-art synchrotrons. Experiments were performed with intense laser pulses (up to 5×10(19) W/cm(2)) to irradiate thin metal foil targets. Ion spectra measured simultaneously showed a square law dependence of the T-ray yield on particle number. Two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations show the presence of transient currents at the target rear surface which could be responsible for the strong T-ray emission.
The Materials Imaging and Dynamics (MID) instrument at the European X-ray Free-Electron Laser (EuXFEL) facility is described. EuXFEL is the first hard X-ray free-electron laser operating in the MHz repetition range which provides novel science opportunities. The aim of MID is to enable studies of nano-structured materials, liquids, and soft- and hard-condensed matter using the bright X-ray beams generated by EuXFEL. Particular emphasis is on studies of structure and dynamics in materials by coherent scattering and imaging using hard X-rays. Commission of MID started at the end of 2018 and first experiments were performed in 2019.
Laser-produced solid density plasmas are well-known as table-top sources of electromagnetic radiation. Recent studies have shown that energetic broadband terahertz pulses (T rays) can also be generated from laser-driven compact ion accelerators. Here we report the measurement of record-breaking T-Ray pulses with energies no less than 0.7 mJ. The terahertz spectrum has been characterized for frequencies ranging from 0.1-133 THz. The dependence of T-Ray yield on incident laser energy is linear and shows no tendencies of saturation. The noncollinear emission pattern and the high yield reveal that the T rays are generated by the transient field at the rear surface of the solid target.
Bayesian Positive Source Separation (BPSS) is a useful unsupervised approach for hyperspectral data unmixing, where numerical non-negativity of spectra and abundances has to be ensured, such in remote sensing. Moreover, it is sensible to impose a sum-to-one (full additivity) constraint to the estimated source abundances in each pixel. Even though non-negativity and full additivity are two necessary properties to get physically interpretable results, the use of BPSS algorithms has been so far limited by high computation time and large memory requirements due to the Markov chain Monte Carlo calculations. An implementation strategy which allows one to apply these algorithms on a full hyperspectral image, as typical in Earth and Planetary Science, is introduced. Effects of pixel selection, the impact of such sampling on the relevance of the estimated component spectra and abundance maps, as well as on the computation times, are discussed. For that purpose, two different dataset have been used: a synthetic one and a real hyperspectral image from Mars.
The European XFEL delivers up to 27000 intense (>1012 photons) pulses per second, of ultrashort (≤50 fs) and transversely coherent X-ray radiation, at a maximum repetition rate of 4.5 MHz. Its unique X-ray beam parameters enable groundbreaking experiments in matter at extreme conditions at the High Energy Density (HED) scientific instrument. The performance of the HED instrument during its first two years of operation, its scientific remit, as well as ongoing installations towards full operation are presented. Scientific goals of HED include the investigation of extreme states of matter created by intense laser pulses, diamond anvil cells, or pulsed magnets, and ultrafast X-ray methods that allow their diagnosis using self-amplified spontaneous emission between 5 and 25 keV, coupled with X-ray monochromators and optional seeded beam operation. The HED instrument provides two target chambers, X-ray spectrometers for emission and scattering, X-ray detectors, and a timing tool to correct for residual timing jitter between laser and X-ray pulses.
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