Ultraintense Tabletop Laser System and Plasma Applications

Abstract

The advent of the ultraintense Tabletop Pulsed Laser Systems (TPLSs) has opened new and thus for unexpected frontiers allowing for the development and the progress of new research areas, in particular in scientific and industrial fields. Usually, these laser systems are used in order to generate plasma on solid or gaseous targets, so-called laser-induced plasma (LIP). The generated plasma behaves like a source of visible, UV and X radiation that can be used for many applications. In particular, X-rays emitted from LIP are used in X spectroscopy, microlithography, microscopy, imaging, radiographies (for example of biological samples). Conversion efficiency studies from laser radiation to X-rays for different targets are central for the energy balance of the source as an important performance parameter and reason of industrial attractiveness. More in generally, TPLSs are used for radiation-matter interaction studies, for fundamental plasma parameter determination, for astrophysical applications, for inertial confinement fusion, for studies in high energy physics or in the compact particle accelerator field, for quantum electrodynamics studies, defense systems, etc. TPLS design and realization are difficult tasks that require interdisciplinary cooperative efforts among researchers from different disciplines: physics, chemistry, engineering, material science, etc. This chapter describes a TPLS that is in operation at the Tor Vergata University laboratories, which is based on multistage pulsed Nd:YAG/Glass laser source (1064 nm/15 ns/10 J/TEM00 emission mode/pulse repetition rate = 1 shot per minute). Finally, some examples of the application of this TPLS are given.