ARGUS laser plasma experiments at 1.06 muon m, 0.5 muon m and 0.35 muon m

The ARGUS wavelength scaling experiments were performed on low (Be) and high (Au) Z disk targets, with laser wavelengths of 1.06 micro m, 0.53 micro m and 0.35 micron m. Box calorimeter measurements show increasing fractional absorption at shorter laser wavelengths; absolutely calibrated hard X-ray detectors show the number of suprathermal electrons to be greatly decreased. Scattered light measurements concentrated on stimulated Raman scattering, and the 3/2 harmonic. The SRS was spectrally and temporally resolved during 0.53 micro m irradiations; it is shown the scattering to be principally from the convective instability, near tenth critical density. Near omega/2, a double peaked spectral feature is observed.