Acceleration to high velocities and heating by impact using Nike KrF laser

• Published in: Physics of plasmas 2010-05, Vol.17 (5), p.056317-056317-7
• Main Authors: Karasik, Max, Weaver, J. L., Aglitskiy, Y., Watari, T., Arikawa, Y., Sakaiya, T., Oh, J., Velikovich, A. L., Zalesak, S. T., Bates, J. W., Obenschain, S. P., Schmitt, A. J., Murakami, M., Azechi, H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY; ACCELERATION; BARYONS; ELEMENTARY PARTICLES; EXCIMER LASERS; FERMIONS; FOILS; GAS LASERS; HADRONS; HEATING; ION TEMPERATURE; KRYPTON FLUORIDE LASERS; LASER-RADIATION HEATING; LASERS; MATERIALS; MEASURING INSTRUMENTS; NEUTRON DETECTORS; NEUTRONS; NUCLEAR REACTION YIELD; NUCLEONS; ORGANIC COMPOUNDS; ORGANIC POLYMERS; PETROCHEMICALS; PETROLEUM PRODUCTS; PLASMA HEATING; PLASTICS; POLYMERS; POLYOLEFINS; POLYSTYRENE; POLYVINYLS; RADIATION DETECTORS; SYNTHETIC MATERIALS; TIME-OF-FLIGHT METHOD; YIELDS
• ISSN: 1070-664X; 1089-7674
• DOI: 10.1063/1.3399786

The Nike krypton fluoride laser [ S. P. Obenschain , S. E. Bodner , D. Colombant , , Phys. Plasmas 3 , 2098 ( 1996 ) ] is used to accelerate planar plastic foils to velocities that for the first time reach 1000 km/s. Collision of the highly accelerated deuterated polystyrene foil with a stationary target produces ∼ Gbar shock pressures and results in heating of the foil to thermonuclear temperatures. The impact conditions are diagnosed using DD fusion neutron yield, with ∼ 10 6 neutrons produced during the collision. Time-of-flight neutron detectors are used to measure the ion temperature upon impact, which reaches 2-3 keV.