A s-polarized short-pulse laser impinged obliquely on an overdense plasma slab is shown to produce very significant second harmonic in the direction of specular reflection and transmission. The laser induces a non-linear current on electrons, which is curl free. However, with sharp plasma boundary, it gives rise to electromagnetic radiation at the second harmonic. Our formalism includes multiple reflections of the incident and second-harmonic waves from both the front and rear surfaces. The present work includes finiteness of the slab. The normalized second-harmonic amplitude acquires a sharp peak at some specific angle of incidence for a particular set of parameters dependent on thickness of the slab and plasma density.

This paper investigates the focal location effects on the penetration depth of molten region surrounding a paraboloid of revolution-shaped cavity (i.e. keyhole of this model) irradiated by a moving focused energy beam, which profile of intensity is assumed to be Gaussian distribution. Considering the momentum balance at the base of the keyhole, a quasi-steady-state thermal model relative to a constant-speed moving high-energy beam and paraboloid of revolution-shaped cavity is developed in a parabolic coordinate system. The analytical solution is obtained for this model with the adiabatic condition directly set on the workpiece surface for semi-infinite domain instead of the image method for infinite domain using the separation-of-variables method. The analytical solution of this model gives a reasonable prediction for the cavity temperatures. The predicted relation of the penetration depth to the focal location agrees with the available measured data. The effects of focal convergence angle and spot size on the penetration depth are also discussed.

The paper is aimed at optimization of parameters of a copper plasma jet produced at the DPF-1000U device, in which the inner electrode face was conically shaped. Preliminary information was obtained by numerical simulations of the plasma jet creation for different copper cones with the use of the two-dimensional magneto-hydrodynamic code KAROL. The simulations suggested that the cone height in the range of 4–7 cm should ensure a good plasma jet quality. The experimental data delivered by means of a 16-frame laser interferometer and a four-frame X-ray pinhole camera fully confirmed this conclusion. In the paper, we demonstrate the results for a 5 cm height cone. The eroded Cu plasma, swept up by the deuterium plasma sheath, was accelerated axially and compressed to very small diameter (3 mm) with an electron density of 7 × 1018 cm−3. The Cu plasma jet achieved a velocity of 5 × 107 cm/s and reached in the period of about 230 ns a distance (length) of 7 cm. The above results prove a successful adaptation of the plasma focus device to the metallic plasma jet generator.

LASER induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has been used for the quantitative analysis of Cu–Ni alloy of known composition (75% Cu, 25% Ni) using the one line calibration free-LIBS (OLCF-LIBS), self-calibration-LIBS (SC-LIBS), calibration free LIBS (CF-LIBS), time of flight-mass spectroscopy (TOF-MS), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF). For the LIBS-based studies, the plasma was generated by focusing the beam of a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser (532 nm, pulse energy about 200 mJ, 5 ns pulse duration) while the sample was placed in air at an atmospheric pressure. Plasma temperature about (9500 ± 300) K was calculated by the Boltzmann plot method using the neutral lines of Cu and Ni whereas the electron number density was calculated (2.0 ± 0.5) × 1016 cm−3 from the Stark broadening of an isolated Cu line as well as using the relative intensities of the neutral and singly ionized optically thin lines in the Saha–Boltzmann equation. The elemental compositions determined by different LIBS methods and standard techniques are; OLCF-LIBS (69% Cu and 31% Ni), SC-LIBS (72% Cu and 28% Ni), CF-LIBS (74% Cu and 26% Ni), TOF (74% Cu and 26% Ni), EDX (75% Cu and 24.5% Ni), XRF (73% Cu and 24.7% Ni), and LA-TOF (74% Cu and 26% Ni). It is demonstrated that the CF-LIBS method gives compositions comparable with that determined by LA-TOF, EDX, or XRF, which is also in agreement with the certified reported composition.

The processes of trapping, compression, and acceleration of short electron bunches externally injected into the wakefields generated by intense femtosecond laser pulse in a plasma channel are analyzed and optimized. The influence of the laser non-linear dynamics to the longitudinal bunch compression and impact of the beam loading effect (self-action of the bunch charge) to the finite energy and the energy spread of the accelerated electrons are investigated. The limitations to the charge of accelerated electron bunch determined by the requirement of a small width of the electron energy distribution of the bunch are found.

Filamentation is one of the most common nonlinear phenomena taking place in the laser–plasma interaction that splits the laser beam into high-intensity spikes. The present study deals with the nonlinear evolution of filamentation instability in laser–plasma interaction and the development of chaos in contrast to linear growth as reported by Kaw et al. in 1973. We have considered a non-uniform perturbation superimposed on plane-wave pump such that due to non-uniformity of the perturbation a finite intensity gradient arises and gives rise to ponderomotive force. This causes filamentation of wave, which has been studied presently using numerical methods as well as analytical tools. The results reveal that the intensity of perturbation gets localized and delocalized with the distance of propagation. The numerical simulation results also reveal that the intensity of perturbation route from ordered to chaotic behavior depending upon the pump laser and perturbation parameters. To study the chaotic behavior, Lyapunov exponents has also been calculated. The semi-analytical method is also developed to have an insight into some of the features of simulation like the formation of localized structures.

The acceleration of an electron by the ponderomotive force of a Gaussian whistler pulse in a magnetized high-density quantum plasma obeying Fermi–Dirac distribution is studied using the recently developed quantum hydrodynamic model. Effective acceleration takes place when the peak whistler amplitude exceeds a threshold value, and the whistler frequency is greater than the cyclotron frequency. The threshold amplitude decreases with ratio of plasma frequency to electron cyclotron frequency. The electron is accelerated at velocities of about twice the group velocity of the whistler.

A ns Nd:Yag laser, at intensity of 1010 W/cm2 is employed to generate carbon and aluminum non-equilibrium plasmas at a temperature of about 33 eV accelerating ions at energies of the order of 130 eV per charge state. The ion emission occurs manly along the normal to the target surface and can be detected using ion collectors employed in time-of-flight configuration. The application of magnetic field along the axe of the ion emission permits to focalize the ion emission enhancing the detected ion current. The formation of electron traps, due to the magnetic force lines, drives the ion acceleration improving their kinetic energy. Different applications can make use of these results to increase the flow of charged particles and their energy employing appropriate static magnetic fields, as it will be presented and discussed.

This paper presents a model to study the two prominent coexisting instabilities, stimulated Raman (SRS), and stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) in the presence of background axial magnetic field. In the context of laser-produced plasmas, this model is very useful in the situations where a self-generated axial magnetic field is present as well as where an external axial magnetic field is applied. Due to the interplay between both the scattering processes, the behavior of one scattering process is greatly modified in the presence of another coexisting scattering process. The impact of this coexisting phenomenon and axial magnetic field on the back reflectivity of scattered beams has been explored. It has been demonstrated that the back reflectivity gets modified significantly due to the coexistence of both the scattering processes (SRS and SBS) as well as due to the axial magnetic field. Results are also compared with the three-wave interaction case (isolated SRS or SBS case).

Laser-induced three-dimensional (3D) Richtmyer–Meshkov and Rayleigh–Taylor instabilities (RMI and RTI) on metal target in the semi-confined configuration (SCC) show the new paradigm of wave-vortex mixing. The SCC enables extended lifetime of a hot vapor/plasma plume above the target surface and the formation of fast multiple reshocks. This causes – in the central region (CR) of Gaussian-like spot – the evolution of RMI with the spike breakup (Lugomer, 2016b), while in the near CR causes the RMI followed by the RTI. The density interface is transformed into the large-scale broken irregular, quasi-periodic web, which comprises the RTI mushroom-shape spikes and the coherent wave-vortex structures such as the line solitons and vortex filaments. The intensity and direction of reshocks change (due to irregularity of the interface) and cause the formation of domains with the weak and the strong reshocks effects. The weak reshocks affect mushroom-shape spikes only slightly, while the strong ones cause their deformation and symmetry break, bubble collapse, and separation of the horizontal flow into vortex ribbons. Interaction of ribbons with spikes and bubbles causes the ribbon pinning, looping, winding, and formation of knotted and tangled structures. The line solitons, vortex filaments, and ribbons tend to organize into complex large-scale structures with the low wave-vortex turbulent mixing. They represent the new paradigm of 3D RMI and RTI in which the transition to the small-scale turbulent mixing does not appear.

The effects of shape and thickness of a tin surface layer and of the energy of a 170 ps neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser pulse on the conversion efficiency (CE) into extreme ultraviolet emission in the 13.5 nm region is investigated. Whereas a CE of up to 1.16% into the 2% reflection band of multilayer Mo/Si optics was measured for a bulk Sn target at a laser energy of 25 mJ, significant CE enhancement up to 1.49% is demonstrated for a 200-nm-thick Sn layer on a microstructured porous alumina substrate.

An experimental investigation into laser ablation of secondary explosives, cyclotetramethylene tetranitramine (HMX), has been carried out by using a solid-state laser at the wavelength of 1064 nm. The ion particles of decomposition were detected by using a time-of-flight mass spectrometer. Possible attributions of both negative ions and positive ions were obtained. Some obvious peaks were found at m/z = 18, 28, 46, 60, and 106, corresponding to H2O, CO/N2/H2CN, NO2, CH2NO2/N2O2, and N(NO2)2/CH2(NO2)2, respectively. According to the distribution of the particles, three possible pathways were proposed to explain the process of particles. The results may shed some light on the possible decomposition mechanism of HMX under laser initiation.

Absorption of electrical energy provided to a metal wire in an exploding wire system is thought to be terminated or greatly diminished when the plasma is formed, after the joule heating of the metallic wire by the electrical current. Accordingly, it is common to account for the electrical energy delivered to the wire that the integration of current and voltage signals is halted when the voltage peak changes its slope. Usually, this moment is synchronized with the plasma appearance, as detected by optical sensors. In this work, experimental evidence of a two-step electrical energy absorption in an exploding wire surrounded by atmospheric air is presented. During the first step of the energy absorption the plasma is not formed, indicating that the delivered energy is not enough for ionizing the wire, giving place to a dark pause that lasts until a second energy absorption produces a plasma. The delay between the two steps can reach ≈2.2 µs for copper wires of 50 µm diameter charged at an initial voltage of 10 kV. Experimental investigation of variation of the delay between the two steps with different metals, charging voltages, and wire diameters are presented. A relation of the current density with the initial kinetic energy of the plasma and the electrical current rate is devised as a possible explanation of the observed phenomena.

Here a compact three orthogonal planes high-energy electron radiography system was proposed. One of the critical technologies, the ultra-fast beam bunches split from the bunch train are studied. The separated bunches could be transported to the three orthogonal planes of the target for dynamic radiography diagnostics. The key elements of the ultra-fast bunches split system are transverse deflecting cavity (TDC) and the twin septum magnet (TSM). The principle of TDC and TSM are briefly introduced. An example of the beam bunches split system for test experiment (40 MeV electron beam) with TDC and TSM is designed and studied by particle-tracking simulation and it confirms this method is valid and feasible. Especially with TSM, a compact three orthogonal planes radiography system can be realized. The evolution of the beam parameters along the beam line from simulation are investigated. The detailed design of the beam split system and beam dynamics simulation study are presented in this paper.

The interaction of femtosecond ultra-intense laser pulses with clusters increases absorption of the incident laser light compared with the interaction with solid targets and leads to enhanced generation of different quantum beams with unique parameters. Future investigations of such interaction urgently need detailed modeling and optimization of cluster parameters, for instance, in order to obtain the clusters with desired size, or some specific spatial configuration of the target etc. A numerical model of gas-cluster targets production by the nozzle flows of gases and binary mixtures is presented. Some previous results of the model utilization are summarized, and some new results are given. Techniques of experimental verification of the numerical results are discussed.

In the present work, excitation of nonlinear ion acoustic wave (IAW) in collisionless plasma by laser beam having null intensity at the center is examined considering relativistic nonlinearity. The differential equation for beam-width parameter is determined considering relativistic nonlinearity using the paraxial and Wentzel–Kramers–Brillouin approximations by the parabolic equation method. The propagation features of the IAW are found to be modified due to the nonlinearity present in the system. The hollow Gaussian beam (HGB) gets nonlinearly coupled with the seed IAW, results in excitation of nonlinear IAW. The interaction of nonlinear IAW with pump beam demonstrated stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) of HGB. It is found that the power of IAW and power of SBS is affected with the order of HGB. The power of IAW and backscattered power of SBS is determined analytically and numerically for various orders of HGB. It is found that the power of IAW and the backscattering is diminished for higher order of HGB.

As the strong thermal effect in the surface, intense pulsed ion beam (IPIB) has been extensively used in material surface modification. The ablation is an important part in the interaction process between IPIB and material. In order to investigate the ablation mechanism, combined with IPIB dynamic energy spectrum and infrared imaging diagnostic results, a two-dimensional axisymmetric heat conduction model considering the effect of ablated material was constructed to describe the ablation process and calculate the lost mass of the targets. The influences of beam parameters and ablated matter on the ablation rate were discussed. The experimental and simulative results of ablation threshold and mass were compared.

The performance of the converging electron beam generated in cylindrical triodes is systematically studied by particle-in-cell code simulations. Depending on the cathode and grid potentials applied, different operation regimes are identified. For low voltages between cathode and grid, laminar flow and homogeneous beam energy density at the target (anode) is obtained. This applies both to the case of unipolar electron flow and to bipolar flow with counter-streaming ions. Hereby, the electron emission current is enhanced by about 50% for bipolar flow compared with unipolar flow. A further increase by about 20% is obtained when electron backscattering at the target is enhanced due to a change of target material from aluminum to tungsten. For cathode-grid voltages exceeding a critical value, laminar flow is replaced by non-laminar flow regimes. For unipolar electron beams, a virtual cathode forms between grid and target, which leads to an inhomogeneous power density at the target. For the specific geometry investigated and the cathode potential fixed at −120 kV, the cathode-grid voltage threshold for the formation of the virtual cathode is ~32 kV for Al targets and ~28 kV for W targets. For bipolar flow, the laminar flow regime already ends at cathode-grid voltages of ~23 kV (Al target) and ~20 kV (W target), respectively, and is replaced by magnetic insulation at the beam edge. For increasing cathode-grid voltage, the magnetically insulated region extends until beam pinching occurs.

High-intensity pulsed ion beam (HIPIB) technology is developed as an advanced manufacturing method for components with improved wear, corrosion and/or fatigue performance, etc. Robust HIPIB equipment with stable repetitive operation, long-lifetime, and easy maintenance are desired for industrial applications, on which stability of ion beam parameters is critical to achieve consistent result of reproducibility. Here, magnetically insulated ion diodes (MIDs) as ion source with durable graphite anode are investigated in a simple self-magnetic field configuration under repetitive operation. Influence of background pressure on ion beam generation and transportation is emphasized since ion beam sources were intrinsically a vacuum-based system. Comparative experiments were conducted on two types of HIPIB equipment, that is, TEMP-6 and TEMP-4M, differing in vacuum packages where turbo-molecular pump or oil diffusion pump was used. Both the HIPIB equipments are operated on a bipolar pulse mode, that is, a first negative pulse of 150–200 kV with pulse duration 450–500 ns to generate anode plasma on explosive electron emission, and a second positive pulse of 200–250 kV with 120 ns to accelerate the ions. Ion beam energy density up to 8 J/cm2 is achievable using MIDs of geometrical focusing configuration, and the total energy, energy density distribution along cross-section, deflection and divergence, and charge neutralization of the ion beams are assessed under background pressures in a wide range of two orders of magnitude, that is, 1–100 mPa. No appreciable change in the parameters is observed up to 50 mPa, and merely a slight increase in the beam deflection from about ±3 mm to about ±4 mm at the focal point over 50 mPa. The stability of ion beam at the varied pressure is mainly facilitated by the higher pressure up to several Pa in anode–cathode gap during plasma generation and good neutralizing effect for ion beam transportation.

Relativistic collisionless shock charged particle acceleration is considered as a possible origin of high-energy cosmic rays. However, it is hard to explore the nature of relativistic collisionless shock due to its low occurring frequency and remote detecting distance. Recently, there are some works attempt to solve this problem by generating relativistic collisionless shock in laboratory conditions. In laboratory, the scheme of generation of relativistic collisionless shock is that two electron–positron pair plasmas knock each other. However, in laboratory, the appropriate pair plasmas have been not generated. The 10 PW laser pulse maybe generates the pair plasmas that satisfy the formation condition of relativistic collisionless shock due to its ultrahigh intensity and energy. In this paper, we study the positron production by ultraintense laser high Z target interaction using numerical simulations, which consider quantum electrodynamics effect. The simulation results show that the forward positron beam up to 1013/kJ can be generated by 10 PW laser pulse interacting with lead target. The estimation of relativistic collisionless shock formation shows that the positron yield satisfies formation condition and the positron divergence needs to be controlled. Our results indicate that the generation of relativistic collisionless shock by 10 PW laser facilities in laboratory is possible.