Using high-intensity laser-generated energetic protons to radiograph directly driven implosions

Zylstra, A. B.; Li, C. K.; Rinderknecht, H. G.; Séguin, F.H.; Petrasso, R. D.; Stoeckl, C.; Meyerhofer, D. D.; Nilson, P.M.; Sangster, T. C.; Pape, S. Le; Mackinnon, A. J.; Patel, P. K.

doi:10.1063/1.3680110

Cited by 65 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…PETAL, commissioned at the end of 2016, extends the LMJ diagnostic capabilities to radiography with energetic particles (protons/ions/electrons) in the 0.1-200 MeV range [76] . In particular, the point projection proton radiography [77] could be of interest for our purpose. Figure 9(a) displays the LMJ power versus energy diagram.…”

Section: Lmj-petal Experimental Platformmentioning

confidence: 99%

Turbulent hydrodynamics experiments in high energy density plasmas: scientific case and preliminary results of the TurboHEDP project

Casner

Rigon

Albertazzi

et al. 2018

High Pow Laser Sci Eng

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The physics of compressible turbulence in high energy density (HED) plasmas is an unchartered experimental area. Simulations of compressible and radiative flows relevant for astrophysics rely mainly on subscale parameters. Therefore, we plan to perform turbulent hydrodynamics experiments in HED plasmas (TurboHEDP) in order to improve our understanding of such important phenomena for interest in both communities: laser plasma physics and astrophysics. We will focus on the physics of supernovae remnants which are complex structures subject to fluid instabilities such as the Rayleigh-Taylor and Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities. The advent of megajoule laser facilities, like the National Ignition Facility and the Laser Megajoule, creates novel opportunities in laboratory astrophysics, as it provides unique platforms to study turbulent mixing flows in HED plasmas. Indeed, the physics requires accelerating targets over larger distances and longer time periods than previously achieved. In a preparatory phase, scaling from experiments at lower laser energies is used to guarantee the performance of future MJ experiments. This subscale experiments allow us to develop experimental skills and numerical tools in this new field of research, and are stepping stones to achieve our objectives on larger laser facilities. We review first in this paper recent advances in high energy density experiments devoted to laboratory astrophysics. Then we describe the necessary steps forward to commission an experimental platform devoted to turbulent hydrodynamics on a megajoule laser facility. Recent novel experimental results acquired on LULI2000, as well as supporting radiative hydrodynamics simulations, are presented. Together with the development of LiF detectors as transformative X-ray diagnostics, these preliminary results are promising on the way to achieve micrometric spatial resolution in turbulent HED physics experiments in the near future.

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Section: Lmj-petal Experimental Platformmentioning

confidence: 99%

Turbulent hydrodynamics experiments in high energy density plasmas: scientific case and preliminary results of the TurboHEDP project

Casner

Rigon

Albertazzi

et al. 2018

High Pow Laser Sci Eng

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“…19 W=cm 2 ) laser incident on a 10-μm-thick Au foil, via the target normal sheath acceleration mechanism [29][30][31]. This backlighter foil was positioned 8 mm from the CH target foil and parallel to it.…”

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confidence: 99%

Slowing of Magnetic Reconnection Concurrent with Weakening Plasma Inflows and Increasing Collisionality in Strongly Driven Laser-Plasma Experiments

Rosenberg

Fox

et al. 2015

Phys. Rev. Lett.

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An evolution of magnetic reconnection behavior, from fast jets to the slowing of reconnection and the establishment of a stable current sheet, has been observed in strongly driven, β ≲ 20 laser-produced plasma experiments. This process has been inferred to occur alongside a slowing of plasma inflows carrying the oppositely directed magnetic fields as well as the evolution of plasma conditions from collisionless to collisional. High-resolution proton radiography has revealed unprecedented detail of the forced interaction of magnetic fields and super-Alfvénic electron jets (V jet ∼ 20V A ) ejected from the reconnection region, indicating that two-fluid or collisionless magnetic reconnection occurs early in time. The absence of jets and the persistence of strong, stable magnetic fields at late times indicates that the reconnection process slows down, while plasma flows stagnate and plasma conditions evolve to a cooler, denser, more collisional state. These results demonstrate that powerful initial plasma flows are not sufficient to force a complete reconnection of magnetic fields, even in the strongly driven regime. [4] plasmas, where oppositely directed magnetic fields undergo a modification of field-line topology and release magnetic energy. While reconnection has typically been studied experimentally in tenuous, quasi-steady-state plasmas, reconnection of magnetic fields in strongly driven (ram pressure > magnetic pressure), β > 1 (total thermal pressure > magnetic pressure) plasmas occurs frequently in astrophysics, impacting dynamics of plasmas in the solar photosphere [5] and at the heliopause [6]. In these strongly driven environments, the rate of reconnection is dictated largely by hydrodynamics and the plasma flows that advect the magnetic fields.In addition, when the scale width of the reconnection region is smaller than the ion inertial length (d i ≡ c=ω pi ), electrons and ions decouple, and the reconnection process is governed by electron flows, rather than by the entire plasma fluid. This two-fluid reconnection (otherwise known as Hall reconnection or collisionless reconnection) is faster than classical Sweet-Parker [7,8] reconnection in the collisional, single-fluid regime. Two-fluid reconnection is a common occurrence in astrophysics [9], and it has been studied in tenuous, quasisteady plasma experiments [10,11]. Two-fluid reconnection in the high β or strongly driven regimes is especially pertinent at the dayside magnetopause of the Earth and other planets [12,13], though, to date, there has been little laboratory investigation of the physics of two-fluid reconnection in such plasmas.This Letter presents the direct observation of two-fluid reconnection features-fast electron jets-preceding the stagnation of magnetic fields and the establishment of a stable current sheet in a strongly driven, β ≲ 20 plasma experiment. These experiments were conducted using laser-produced plasmas, a well-established platform for studies of high-β magnetic reconnection. Prior experiments have examined the annihilatio...

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“…Useful aspects of the field geometry have been deduced from qualitative inspection [135,16,17,18,156,23,125,217,21,70,32] , and by means of quantitative estimates based on scalings of the Lorentz force [79] when features of the plasma are known. [151,113,120,186,161,189,115,116,217,218,197,224] Recently analytic theory describing the deconvolution has been developed [98], but its application is constrained to simple field geometries and low field strengths, since the general mapping is nonlinear and degenerate.…”

Section: Ultrafast Imaging Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this pursuit the proton radiography diagnostic technique [76,22,15,156,23] has enjoyed considerable success, providing insight into megagauss-scale electromagnetic fields in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) implosions [132,119,111,82,186,114,118,68,21,190,115,137,139,138,117,224] , large-scale self-organizing electromagnetic field structures in high velocity counter-streaming plasma flows [97], magnetic reconnection processes [151,113,217], HED plasma instabilities [112,77,56,61,60] and more. Fig.…”

Section: Ultrafast Imaging Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling of Intense Laser Driven High Energy Density Plasmas

Levy¹

2014

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Illuminating matter with petawatt (one quadrillion watts) laser light creates extreme states of plasmas with temperatures exceeding ten million degrees Celsius and pressures exceeding one billion earth atmospheres. These high energy density conditions are driven at the microscopic scale by dense currents of relativistic electrons, oscillating violently in the intense laser fields, as well as the plasma processes arising when these particles lose phase coherence and are injected into bulk target material. Suitably harnessed, this setup opens the way to compact relativistic particle accelerators, laser fusion energy sources, laboratory astrophysics, ultrafast imaging systems, proton cancer therapies, anti-matter creation, high-energy radiation sources and intense high harmonic generation. In this thesis, theoretical models of the absorption of high power laser light by matter are derived, applications of these models are investigated, and simulation tools supporting the diagnosis and implementation of these applications are developed.In particular, an advanced, relativistically-correct theoretical model of petawatt laser absorption by optically-thick targets is developed, accounting for both ion and electron beam aspects of the interaction. Predictions of the model for the energetic properties of these beams, as well as the dynamical motion of the laser-matter interface, are elucidated. Results from high resolution, relativistic, kinetic particle-in-cell simulations using the LSP code are shown to be in good agreement with the model. intensity I l and wavelength l . These results are shown to bound several dozens of published experimental and simulation data points, underlining the usefulness of the iii model. These results are extended to include e↵ects related to heterogeneous plasmas, including relativistically-underdense plasmas relevant to 'pre-plasma' situations, and realistic laser spatio-temporal profiles. Our dynamic considerations of absorption processes are then extended to the 10-petawatt scale. In a manner that could support reaching the QED-plasma regime, a mechanism of focusing high power laser light to higher intensities is elucidated. Supporting the measurement and validation of these models, the development of a new simulation tool for understanding high energy density plasmas, based on the proton radiography technique, is detailed. AcknowledgementsOver the past 5 1 / 2 years it has often seemed that pursuit of graduate studies has formed an exercise in the stewardship of resources entrusted to me by advisors, mentors, collaborators and others. In endeavors bearing fruit, my stewardship of these resources has seemed adequate. In the totality of outcomes, to these people I wish to express my warmest and deepest gratitude. At Livermore I am particularly grateful to Tony Link for interesting and useful discussions on intense laser-plasma interactions and on the LSP code. I also wish to thank my colleagues

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Using high-intensity laser-generated energetic protons to radiograph directly driven implosions

Cited by 65 publications

References 64 publications

Turbulent hydrodynamics experiments in high energy density plasmas: scientific case and preliminary results of the TurboHEDP project

Turbulent hydrodynamics experiments in high energy density plasmas: scientific case and preliminary results of the TurboHEDP project

Slowing of Magnetic Reconnection Concurrent with Weakening Plasma Inflows and Increasing Collisionality in Strongly Driven Laser-Plasma Experiments

Modeling of Intense Laser Driven High Energy Density Plasmas

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