The P3 installation of ELI-Beamlines is conceived as an experimental platform for multiple high-repetition-rate laser beams spanning time scales from femtosecond via picosecond to nanosecond. The upcoming L4n laser beamline will provide shaped nanosecond pulses of up to 1.9 kJ at a maximum repetition rate of 1 shot/min. This beamline will provide unique possibilities for high-pressure, high-energy-density physics, warm dense matter, and laser–plasma interaction experiments. Owing to the high repetition rate, it will become possible to obtain considerable improvements in data statistics, in particular, for equation-of-state data sets. The nanosecond beam will be coupled with short sub-picosecond pulses, providing high-resolution diagnostic tools by either irradiating a backlighter target or driving a betatron setup to generate energetic electrons and hard X-rays.
High-power laser-matter interaction and the related High-Energy Density Physics are two important topics in modern physics. However for decades, a very restrictive limitation prevents researchers from studying these topics efficiently: nanosecond-kiloJoule class lasers are typically characterized by a low repetition rate (≈ 1 shot/hour) that restricts the data acquisition and limits the available statistics for analysis. Here, we describe the first results obtained using the high-repetition rate nanosecond-kiloJoule (L4n laser beamline) experimental platform commissioned at the Extreme Light Infrastructure - Beamlines. We proved the capability to deliver hundreds of Joules shots every three minutes with a very good repeatability. Using high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy, we studied highly resolved spectra of H-like and He-like Cl lines emitted from polyvinyl chloride targets and demonstrated that the plasma parameters (electron temperature and density) derived from the measured spectra are consistent with hydro-simulations. These results demonstrate the fulfilment of the designed platform performance which should become one of the most important assets for the High-Energy Density Physics community in the following decades.
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