Foil Acceleration Research Articles

Laser-plasma interaction and ablative acceleration of thin foils at 1012–1015 W/cm2

The interaction physics and hydrodynamic motion of thin-foil targets irradiated by long, low-flux Nd-laser pulses (3 nsec, 1012–1015 W/cm2) are studied experimentally and compared with theoretical models. Laser light absorption is high (80%–90%) and thin-foil targets are accelerated up to 107 cm/sec with good (20%) hydrodynamic efficiency in the 1012–1013 W/cm2 range. These results agree with a simple rocket ablation model. Details of thermal heat flow, both axially (related to ablation depth) and laterally (related to beam uniformity requirements), are also presented.

Ablative Acceleration of Laser-Irradiated Thin-Foil Targets

Ablative acceleration of thin-foil targets at low laser irradiance (10/sup 12/--10/sup 13/W/cm/sup 2/) is studied experimentally and theoretically. Ablative acceleration of foils up to approx. 10/sup 7/ cm/sec with good hydrodynamic efficiency (20%) has been achieved. These and other results are in good agreement with a simple rocket model.

Laser induced acceleration of metal foils

Small metal foils have been accelerated to velocities of about 10 4 cm sec -1 by the action of ruby and CO 2 laser irradiation. The plasma pressures deduced from velocity measurements scale closely with those expected theoretically.