Efficient absorption of laser light by nano-porous materials with well-controlled structure

Abstract

The absorption of high-power nanosecond laser pulses in a porous matter is investigated through theoretical and numerical calculations. The effects of structural properties of the porous target such as size of pores and thickness of solid elements on the laser absorption are investigated. The time and space-dependent absorption coefficient of the laser created partially homogenized plasma is used in a plasma hydrodynamic code to reproduce the laser absorption and plasma formation processes in a porous matter. It is observed that the structural characteristics of the porous material can be optimized to significantly increase the laser energy absorption. For porous targets with pore sizes in the range 30–60 nm a value around 1000 nm could be desirable for the wall thickness to increase the laser absorption efficiency to more than 90%. The results can be advantageous in production of efficient laser absorber targets which are desirable in advanced applications such as inertial confinement fusion and laser-plasma x-ray sources.