By using reductive perturbation technique we have studied the linear and non-linear properties of ion-acoustic solitary structures in a three-component plasma containing non-thermal electrons and Boltzmann positrons and a comparatively cold ion which has got a streaming motion. The Korteweg–de Vries equation has been obtained and the dependence of small amplitude solitary structures on various plasma parameters such as streaming velocity (v0), non-thermal parameter (β), reciprocal of electron temperature (χ), positron density (p), Mach number (M), and ion density (δ) have been studied. The possibility of formation of enveloping soliton and its characteristic features are further investigated by deriving the non-linear Schrödinger equation.

The 70-year anniversary of the first nuclear fusion reaction of hydrogen isotopes by Oliphant, Harteck, and Rutherford is an opportunity to realize how beam fusion is the path for energy production, including both branches, the magnetic confinement fusion and the inertial fusion energy (IFE). It is intriguing that Oliphant's basic concept for igniting controlled fusion reactions by beams has made a comeback even for magnetic confinement plasma, after this beam fusion concept was revealed by the basically nonlinear processes of the well-known alternative of inertial confinement fusion using laser or particle beams. After reviewing the main streams of both directions some results are reported—as an example of possible alternatives—about how experiments with skin layer interaction and avoiding relativistic self-focusing of clean PW–ps laser pulses for IFE may possibly lead to a simplified fusion reactor scheme without the need for special compression of solid deuterium–tritium fuel.

This article reviews the status of experiments directed to understanding the initial phases of exploding wire plasma formation, especially those relevant to the initiation of wire explosions and plasma formation in wire array z-pinch experiments. Thus, although we discuss experiments with ∼100 kA per wire, in which magnetic forces play a major role, our emphasis is on experiments with ∼1 kA per wire, in which magnetic forces appear to be unimportant. With high current (∼100 kA) per wire, the exploding wire consists of a rapidly expanding (1–3 cm/μs) coronal plasma surrounding a dense core that expands much more slowly. The coronal plasma exhibits strong, azimuthally symmetric instabilities driven by the high current, but the dense core appears to be stable, suggesting that it is carrying little of the current. In low-current experiments, the initial wire core expansion rate depends upon the material, the wire size, and whether or not it is coated with an insulator. For bare wires, the core diameter expands at rates which range from ≤0.03 cm/μs (for 25-μm-diameter W) to 0.46 cm/μs (for 25-μm-diameter Ag). This expansion rate increases with the energy deposited resistively in the wire before coronal plasma formation. Furthermore, expansion is more uniform as well as faster for wires in which the deposited energy is comparable to or larger than the vaporization energy. Insulating coatings increase the energy deposition, evidently by forestalling the formation of plasma around a wire. Therefore, wires coated with 1-μm thickness of plastic expand faster (e.g., by a factor of 2 for Ag) than bare wires for all wires tested so far.

In the context of the French Laser Mégajoule (LMJ) fusion research program, direct drive is an alternate to indirect drive to reach ignition and thermonuclear burn. We present recent progress in the direct-drive fusion studies for LMJ. Calculations have shown that the LMJ irradiation uniformity is characterized by long wavelength asymmetries compatible with direct drive requirements. Calculations of the irradiation uniformity in the context of indirect drive beam positioning have been done. We show that non-uniformity can be minimized by repointing the beams. Unfortunately, a time analysis shows that this nonuniformity increases strongly in time above levels usually considered inconsistent for direct drive. Finally, a recent baseline target design is presented and consists of a DT ice shell surrounded by a low-density CH foam wicked with cryogenic DT. This design can potentially reach a gain of 90 with a 1-MJ on-target laser driver. Hydrodynamic stability is increased at the ablation front and the laser–target coupling efficiency achieves 85%.

This paper deals with the study of propagation of electromagnetic wave in a rectangular waveguide filled with an inhomogeneous plasma in which electron density varies linearly in a transverse direction to the mode propagation. A transcendental equation in ω (microwave frequency) is obtained that governs the mode propagation. In addition, an attempt is made to examine the effect of density inhomogeneity on the energy gain acquired by the electron (electron bunch) when it is injected in the waveguide along the direction of the mode propagation. On the basis of angle of deflection of the electron motion we optimize the microwave parameters so that the electron does not strike with the waveguide walls. Conditions have been discussed for achieving larger energy gain. The plasma density inhomogeneity is found to play a crucial role on the cutoff frequency, fields and dispersion relation of the TE10 mode as well as on the acceleration gradient in the waveguide.

The usual technique of the laser induced plasma spectroscopy (LIPS) spectra analysis relies on the use of calibration curves for quantitative measurements of plasma composition. However, LIPS calibration curves strongly depend on the material composition (the so-called matrix effect); thus, this standard approach to the LIPS spectra analysis is inadequate when precise information on unknown samples composition is required. In this paper we present a new procedure, based on LIPS, for calibration-free quantitative elemental analysis of materials. The new procedure, based on an algorithm developed and patented by IFAM-CNR, allows the overcoming of the matrix effect, yielding precise and accurate quantitative results without the need of calibration curves.

The plasma composition, equation of state, and phase diagram of dense helium plasma were calculated for temperatures of 104...105 K, total atom densities of 1015... 1025 cm−3, and pressures up to 102 TPa, including the region of partial ionization and strong Coulomb coupling. The basic thermodynamic potential was chosen to be the free energy density with contributions due to Coulomb interaction, hard-core repulsion, and van der Waals-like attraction for a mixture of differently charged atoms and free electrons. For the first time, we show the potential occurrence of a sequence of plasma phase transitions. In helium, they correspond to the ionization steps He0→He+ and He+→He++ respectively. The properties of the coexisting phases were determined by a Maxwell construction based on the combined chemical potential.

We report on the pulsed laser ablation of aluminum (Al) plasma in presence of ambient nitrogen to understand the formation of aluminum nitride (AlN). Formation of carbon nitride (CN) and titanium oxide (TiO) by pulsed laser-ablation of graphite and titanium targets in presence of ambient nitrogen and oxygen is also compared. We discuss the dynamics of plasma expansion based on existing models, shock and drag models, and the plasma gas interface distortion, Rayleigh-Taylor instability at various ambient pressures of nitrogen. Since Rayleigh-Taylor instability may give rise to self-generated magnetic field in the plasma, an attempt is made to understand the mechanism of generation as well as the estimation of this field near the focal spot using the information from the images of the expanding plasma. This is the first time images of the expanding plume are used to estimate self generated magnetic fields. At the irradiance level used in the experiment the field is high very close to the target surface therefore we expect splitting of the energy levels thus giving rise to emissions that may be anisotropic in nature. We discuss the extent of anisotropy by measuring the degree of polarization using emission intensity in optical emission spectrum of selected Al III transition 4s 2S1/2–4p 2P3/2o at 569.6 nm using both nanosecond and picosecond pulses.

The existing “quotidian equation state” model, based on Thomas-Fermi theory, is modified so as to improve the low density region of phase diagram of metals. A scheme for estimating the critical parameters of liquid-vapor phase transition is proposed. The new model reproduces experimental critical isotherms to a good degree of accuracy. Furthermore, the proposed model is validated with thermodynamic data in the liquid-vapor co-existence region, including results on isobaric expansion as well as released isentropes.

The Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung (GSI) Darmstadt has been approved to build a new powerful facility named FAIR (Facility for Antiprotons and Ion Research) which involves the construction of a new synchrotron ring SIS100. In this paper, we will report on the results of a parameter study that has been carried out to estimate the minimum pulse lengths and the maximum peak powers achievable, using bunch rotation RF gymnastic-including nonlinearities of the RF gap voltage in SIS100, using a longitudinal dynamics particle in cell (PIC) code, ESME. These calculations have shown that a pulse length of the order of 20 ns may be possible when no prebunching is performed while the pulse length gradually increases with the prebunching voltage. Three different cases, including 0.4 GeV/u, 1 GeV/u, and 2.7 GeV/u are considered for the particle energy. The worst case is for the kinetic energy of 0.4 GeV/u which leads to a pulse length of about 100 ns for a prebunching voltage of 100 kV (RF amplitude). The peak power was found to have a maximum, however, at 0.5–1.5kV prebunching voltage, depending on the mean kinetic energy of the ions. It is expected that the SIS100 will deliver a beam with an intensity of 1–2 × 1012 ions. Availability of such a powerful beam will make it possible to study the properties of high-energy-density (HED) matter in a parameter range that is very difficult to access by other means. These studies involve irradiation of high density targets by the ion beam for which optimization of the target heating is the key problem. The temperature to which a target can be heated depends on the power that is deposited in the material by the projectile ions. The optimization of the power, however, depends on the interplay of various parameters including beam intensity, beam spot area, and duration of the ion bunch. The purpose of this paper is to determine a set of the above parameters that would lead to an optimized target heating by the future SIS100 beam.

Angular distributions of currents and velocities (energies) of ions produced at various target irradiation angles and laser intensities ranged from 1010 W/cm2 to 1017 W/cm2 were analyzed. It was confirmed that for low laser intensities the ion current distributions are always peaked along the target normal. However, at laser intensities comparable to or higher than 1014 W/cm2, the preferred direction of ion emission strongly depends on the irradiation geometry (laser focus setting, the irradiation angle), and can be off the target normal. This is very likely caused by the non-linear interaction of the laser beam with produced plasma, in particular, by the action of ponderomotive forces and the laser beam self-focusing.

Recent studies on short-pulse interaction with steep-density gradient plasmas (L/λ0) uncovered some new absorption mechanisms. One such process was proposed by Brunei (1987), in which a laser beam is obliquely incident on a perfectly conducting surface. During one half-cycle, electrons dragged from the surface into the vacuum region are returned to the plasma with velocities of the same order as that of the quiver electron velocity. We have reexamined this mechanism using a 1–D (Lagrangian) plasma model, but without Brunel's assumption that the electric field vanishes inside the plasma. Analytical and numerical calculations of electron trajectories and the self-consistent electric fields are presented and comparisons are made with 1–D particle-in-cell simulations.

The growth of a single-mode perturbation is described by a buoyancy–drag equation, which describes all instability stages (linear, nonlinear and asymptotic) at time-dependent Atwood number and acceleration profile. The evolution of a multimode spectrum of perturbations from a short wavelength random noise is described using a single characteristic wavelength. The temporal evolution of this wavelength allows the description of both the linear stage and the late time self-similar behavior. Model results are compared to full two-dimensional numerical simulations and shock-tube experiments of random perturbations, studying the various stages of the evolution. Extensions to the model for more complicated flows are suggested.

Proton beams, generated in the interaction process of short ultra-intense laser pulses with thin foils, carry imprints of rear side target structures. These intensity patterns, imaged with a particle detector, sometimes show slight deformations. We propose an analytical model to describe these deformations by the spatial shape of a monoenergetic layer of protons in the beginning of free proton propagation. We also present results of simulations, which reproduce the detected structures and allow finally making quantitative conclusions on the shape of the layer. In experiments with electrically conducting targets, the shape is always close to a parabolic one independently on target thickness or laser parameters. Since the protons are pulled by the free electrons, there must be a strong correlation to the electron space charge distribution on the rear side of the illuminated foil. Simulations demonstrate that the deformations in the detected patterns of the proton layers are very sensitive to the initial layer shape. Analyzing spatial structures of the generated proton beams we can indirectly conclude on electron transport phenomena in the overdense part of the target.

This paper presents an investigation of a self-consistent, theoretical model, which explains the ring formation in a super-Gaussian laser beam propagating in plasma with transverse magnetic field, characterized by relativistic nonlinearity. Higher order terms (up to r4) in the expansion of the dielectric function and the eikonal have been taken into account. The condition for the formation of a dark and bright ring has been used to study focusing/defocusing of the beam. It is seen that inclusion of higher order terms does significantly affect the dependence of beam width parameter on the distance of propagation. Self-focusing of super-Gaussian beam is studied at various values of super-Gaussian coefficient, m and magnetic field. Further, we have studied some distinct features of critical power curves for varying values of magnetic field.

The two-temperature, 2D hydrodynamic code Hydro–ELectro–IOnization–2–Dimensional (HELIO2D), which takes into account self-consistently the laser energy absorption in a target, ionization, heating, and expansion of the created plasma is elaborated. The wide-range two-temperature equation of state is developed and used to model the metal target dynamics from room temperature to the conditions of weakly coupled plasma. The simulation results are compared and demonstrated a good agreement with experimental data on the Mg target being heated by laser pulses of the nanosecond high-energy laser for heavy ion experiments (NHELIX) at Gesellschaft fur Schwerionenforschung. The importance of using realistic models of matter properties is demonstrated.

The problem of nonlinear self-focusing of elliptic Gaussian laser beam in collisionless magnetized plasma is studied using variation approach. The dynamics of the combined effects of nonlinearity and spatial diffraction is presented. With a and b as the beam width parameters of the beam along x and y directions, respectively, the phenomenon of cross-focusing is observed where focusing of a results in defocusing of b and vice versa. Although no stationary self-trapping is observed, oscillatory self-trapping occurs far below the threshold. The regularized phase is always negative.

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) in combination with a conventional mine prodder is applied for remote detection of explosives and mine housing materials. High power subnanosecond laser pulses (pulse power Ep = 0.6 mJ and pulse duration Δt = 650 ps) at 1064 nm with a typical repetition rate of 10 kHz are generated by using a passively Q-switched Cr4+:Nd3+:YAG microchip-laser as seed-laser for an Yb-fiber amplifier. In the present investigation, the ratios of “late” and “early” LIBS intensities for the cyanide (CN) plasma emission at 388 nm and for the C-emission at 248 nm are used for data analysis. This allows the classification of different explosives and mine casing materials under real time conditions and also similar applications to materials processing.

We have designed a compact solid compressor by stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS), which consists of two right angle prisms and a fused silica glass block. A 13–16 ns Nd:YAG laser pulse has been temporally compressed to 1 ns or less phase conjugation pulse in a fused-quartz and fused-silica glass at four different wavelengths. Maximum reflectivity of SBS was 90–95% without damage. The brightness of the compressed pulse was about ten-fold higher than that of the incident pulse. Damage-free operation using fused quartz glass as a better phase conjugation material could lead to the construction of a more compact, laser-diode-pumped, and all-solid-state laser system.

Frequency-dependent opacities are determined for high-Z plasma taking into account splitting of the energy levels with orbital quantum number l. The energy levels are calculated with the help of the screened hydrogenic model generalized by Perrot for l splitting. Oscillator strengths for bound-bound and bound-free transitions are computed from hydrogenic wave functions with two different screened nuclear charges. The average atom model is used to determine the plasma state, with provision for continuum lowering and pressure ionization. Explicit results for extinction coefficients of gold plasma with ρ = 0.1 g/cm3 and T = 100−500 eV are compared with calculations neglecting l splitting. Considerably enhanced absorption at lower photon energies (50–300 eV) is obtained when taking l splitting into account. Planck and Rosseland mean opacities are also calculated and compared with data contained in the SESAME opacity library. Remarkable agreement is found without any artificial line broadening or band smearing.