Baoqiang Zhu

Note: Absolute calibration of two DRZ phosphor screens using ultrashort electron bunch

This article gives the absolute calibration of two types phosphor screens (DRZ) that were used to detect and characterize electron bunches driven by laser-plasma accelerator. The test was performed with picoseconds electron bunch at a radio frequency linear electron accelerator in Tsinghua University. The photons emitted from DRZ screens showed good linear responses to the charge of incident electron bunch and cosine angular distribution in space. An energy conversional efficiency of effective scintillant matter was also calculated.

A novel laser-collider used to produce monoenergetic 13.3 MeV (7)Li (d, n) neutrons.

Neutron energy is directly correlated with the energy of the incident ions in experiments involving laser-driven nuclear reactions. Using high-energy incident ions reduces the energy concentration of the generated neutrons. A novel “laser-collider” method was used at the Shenguang II laser facility to produce monoenergetic neutrons via 7Li (d, n) nuclear reactions. The specially designed K-shaped target significantly increased the numbers of incident d and Li ions at the keV level. Ultimately, 13.3u2009MeV neutrons were obtained. Considering the time resolution of the neutron detector, we demonstrated that the produced neutrons were monoenergetic. Interferometry and a Multi hydro-dynamics simulation confirmed the monoenergetic nature of these neutrons.

Neutron yield enhancement in laser-induced deuterium-deuterium fusion using a novel shaped target.

Neutron yields have direct correlation with the energy of incident deuterons in experiments of laser deuterated target interaction [Roth et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 044802 (2013) and Higginson et al., Phys. Plasmas 18, 100703 (2011)], while deuterated plasma density is also an important parameter. Experiments at the Shenguang II laser facility have produced neutrons with energy of 2.45 MeV using d (d, n) He reaction. Deuterated foil target and K-shaped target were employed to study the influence of plasma density on neutron yields. Neutron yield generated by K-shaped target (nearly 10(6)) was two times higher than by foil target because the K-shaped target results in higher density plasma. Interferometry and multi hydro-dynamics simulation confirmed the importance of plasma density for enhancement of neutron yields.

Formation and evolution of a pair of collisionless shocks in counter-streaming flows

A pair of collisionless shocks that propagate in the opposite directions are firstly observed in the interactions of laser-produced counter-streaming flows. The flows are generated by irradiating a pair of opposing copper foils with eight laser beams at the Shenguang-II (SG-II) laser facility. The experimental results indicate that the excited shocks are collisionless and electrostatic, in good agreement with the theoretical model of electrostatic shock. The particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations verify that a strong electrostatic field growing from the interaction region contributes to the shocks formation. The evolution is driven by the thermal pressure gradient between the upstream and the downstream. Theoretical analysis indicates that the strength of the shocks is enhanced with the decreasing density ratio during both flows interpenetration. The positive feedback can offset the shock decay process. This is probable the main reason why the electrostatic shocks can keep stable for a longer time in our experiment.

Bow shocks formed by a high-speed laser-driven plasma cloud interacting with a cylinder obstacle*

A bow shock is formed in the interaction of a high-speed laser-driven plasma cloud with a cylinder obstacle. Its temporal and spatial structures are observed by shadowgraphy and interferometry. The width of the shock transition region is ~ 50 μm, comparable to the ion–ion collision mean free path, which indicates that collision is dominated in the shock probably. The Mach-number of the ablating plasma cloud is ~ 15 at first, and decreases with time resulting in a changing shock structure. A two-dimension hydrodynamics code, USim, is used to simulate the interaction process. The simulated shocks can well reproduce the observed.

Filamentation instability in two counter-streaming laser plasmas*

The filamentation instability was observed in the interaction of two counter-streaming laser ablated plasma flows, which were supersonic, collisionless, and also closely relevant to astrophysical conditions. The plasma flows were created by irradiating a pair of oppositely standing plastic (CH) foils with 1ns-pulsed laser beams of total energy of 1.7 kJ in two laser spots. With characteristics diagnosed in experiments, the calculated features of Weibel-type filaments are in good agreement with measurements.

Demonstration of laser-produced neutron diagnostic by radiative capture gamma-rays

We report a new scenario of the time-of-flight technique in which fast neutrons and delayed gamma-ray signals were both recorded in a millisecond time window in harsh environments induced by high-intensity lasers. The delayed gamma signals, arriving far later than the original fast neutron and often being ignored previously, were identified to be the results of radiative captures of thermalized neutrons. The linear correlation between the gamma photon number and the fast neutron yield shows that these delayed gamma events can be employed for neutron diagnosis. This method can reduce the detecting efficiency dropping problem caused by prompt high-flux gamma radiation and provides a new way for neutron diagnosing in high-intensity laser-target interaction experiments.

Cherenkov radiation-based optical fibre diagnostics of fast electrons generated in intense laser-plasma interactions

Diagnosing fast electrons is important to understand the physics underpinning intense laser-produced plasmas. Here, we demonstrate experimentally that a Cherenkov radiation-based optical fibre can serve as a reliable diagnostic to characterize the fast electrons escaping from solid targets irradiated by ultra-intense laser pulses. Using optical fibre loops, the number and angular distributions of the escaping electrons are obtained. The data agree well with measurements made using image plate stacks. The optical fibre can be operated at high-repetition rates and is insensitive to x-rays and ion beams, which makes it advantageous over other routinely used fast electron diagnostics in some aspects.

Filamentation due to the Weibel instability in two counterstreaming laser ablated plasmas

Weibel-type filamentation instability was observed in the interaction of two counter streaming laser ablated plasma flows, which were supersonic, collisionless, and closely relevant to astrophysical conditions. The plasma flows were created by irradiating a pair of oppositely standing plastic (CH) foils with 1ns-pulsed laser beams of total energy of 1.7 kJ in two laser spots. With characteristics diagnosed in experiments, the calculated features of Weibel-type filaments are in good agreement with measurements.

Smith-purcell radiation from laser-plasmagenerated electrons

Near-infrared radiation is experimentally observed by coupling a grating to the electron beams generated in the laser-solid target interaction. Such kinds of radiation hold a promise for a tunable compact “table-top” powerful Tera-Hertz source.