Measurement of the time-resolved x-ray emission of different elements irradiated with a subpicosecond high-power laser

Abstract

X-ray spectra of a few picosecond duration were emitted by aluminum, selenium and samarium thin foils irradiated with a 100 TW, 300 fs laser at 0.53 μm wavelength. They were measured in the 1600 eV range with high temporal and spectral resolution, using a high-speed streak camera coupled to a conical Bragg crystal. Gradients were limited by using thin foils (300 to 800 Å) deposited on a 50 μm gold pinhole. Frequency Domain Interferometry was set to measure the velocity of the critical density at the rear of the target and deduce the electron temperature. A few picosecond duration X-ray spectra have been measured. Sm spectra showed no spectral features in the measured wavelength range, providing a spectrally homogeneous backlighter for absorption spectroscopy. The duration of the emission was shorter when observed through a pinhole. 1-D hydrodynamic simulations coupled to an atomic collisional-radiative code have been used to simulate the X-ray emission of aluminum. The main features of the experimental time resolved spectra, obtained for the pinhole target have been well reproduced, for an initial temperature of 700 ± 100 eV.