Impedance match equation of state experiments using indirectly laser-driven multimegabar shocks

Abstract

Measurements of equation of state (EOS) points on the principal Hugoniots of Cu, Au, Pb and the plastics Parylene-C and brominated CH at multimegabar pressures have been made using the 1 TW HELEN laser at AWE. The aim was 1% accuracy in shock velocity measurement (3%–4% in pressure) in order to compare with data from gas-gun and nuclear underground test experiments and the theoretical EOS’s based on, or supported by, these data. Experiments comprised a hohlraum heated by two 500 J, 0.53 μm wavelength, 1 ns Gaussian laser pulses generating an x-ray flux which drove a shock into a target consisting of a base, with steps of a known EOS material and of the material of unknown EOS. Shock breakout from base and steps was detected by monitoring light emission from the target with optical streak cameras and shock velocities were derived from the transit times across the known-height steps.