Evidence for profile steepening in laser-irradiated plasmas
Abstract
Experimental evidence of a steepened electron density profile near critical density has been obtained by studying the light scattered by targets (10-μm thick disks and 100-μm diam glass spherical microshells filled with deuterium and tritium gas) illuminated by linearly polarized, 1.06-μm light. Scale lengths on the order of 1 μm have been inferred both from the polarization of the reflected light and from the azimuthal asymmetry (asymmetry about the beam axis) of the time-integrated scattered light with respect to the laser electric field. Azimuthally asymmetric heating of the microshells targets is indicated both by x-ray micrographs and by the spatial distribution of the plasma blowoff.
- Publication:
-
Physics of Fluids
- Pub Date:
- November 1977
- DOI:
- 10.1063/1.861808
- Bibcode:
- 1977PhFl...20.1892P
- Keywords:
-
- Deuterium Plasma;
- Electron Density Profiles;
- Laser Plasmas;
- Light Scattering;
- Plasma Heating;
- Electric Fields;
- Laser Fusion;
- Linear Polarization;
- Optical Reflection;
- Spherical Shells;
- Tritium;
- Plasma Physics