A time-resolved x-ray ring coded-aperture microscope for inertial confinement fusion applications

Abstract

For energetic x rays (hv≥3 keV), ring coded-aperture imaging gives better signal-to-noise ratio than equivalent-resolution pinhole cameras for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) targets. We have created a time-resolved ring coded-aperture microscope by combining a 4×3 array of annular apertures with a gated microchannel-plate x-ray imager. The new instrument can produce 500-ps duration sequences of images with a temporal resolution of 80 ps and a spatial resolution of 5 to 6 μm. In demonstration experiments, coded images of imploded targets directly driven by the Omega laser at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics showed the formation and dissolution of the target cores with improved detail. Contour plots of the images indicate that the laser illumination pattern is imprinted in the imploded core region. The gated ring-aperture microscope will be useful in detailed studies of ICF target hydrodynamics.