Channing Huntington

Imaging x-ray Thomson scattering spectrometer design and demonstration (invited).

In many laboratory astrophysics experiments, intense laser irradiation creates novel material conditions with large, one-dimensional gradients in the temperature, density, and ionization state. X-ray Thomson scattering is a powerful technique for measuring these plasma parameters. However, the scattered signal has previously been measured with little or no spatial resolution, which limits the ability to diagnose inhomogeneous plasmas. We report on the development of a new imaging x-ray Thomson spectrometer (IXTS) for the Omega laser facility. The diffraction of x-rays from a toroidally curved crystal creates high-resolution images that are spatially resolved along a one-dimensional profile while spectrally dispersing the radiation. This focusing geometry allows for high brightness while localizing noise sources and improving the linearity of the dispersion. Preliminary results are presented from a scattering experiment that used the IXTS to measure the temperature profile of a shocked carbon foam.

REVERSE RADIATIVE SHOCK LASER EXPERIMENTS RELEVANT TO ACCRETING STREAM-DISK IMPACT IN INTERACTING BINARIES

We present the first results from high-energy-density laboratory astrophysics experiments that explore the hydrodynamic and radiative properties of a reverse shock relevant to a cataclysmic variable system. A reverse shock is a shock wave that develops when a freely flowing, supersonic plasma is impeded. In our experiments, performed on the Omega Laser Facility, a laser pulse is used to accelerate plasma ejecta into a vacuum. This flow is directed into an Al plate in front of which a shock forms in the rebounding plasma. The plasma flow is moving fast enough that it is shocked to high enough temperatures that radiative cooling affects the shock structure. These are the first experiments to produce a radiative reverse shock wave.

Development of a short duration backlit pinhole for radiography on the National Ignition Facility

Experiments on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) will require bright, short duration, near-monochromatic x-ray backlighters for radiographic diagnosis of many high-energy density systems. This paper details a vanadium pinhole backlighter producing (1.8±0.5)×10(15) x-ray photons into 4π sr near the vanadium He-like characteristic x-ray energy of 5.18 keV. The x-ray yield was quantified from a set of Ross filters imaged to a calibrated image plate, with the Dante diagnostic used to confirm the quasimonochromatic nature of the spectrum produced. Additionally, an x-ray film image shows a source-limited image resolution of 26u2002μm from a 20u2002μm diameter pinhole.

Design of experiments to observe radiation stabilized Rayleigh-Taylor instability growth at an embedded decelerating interface

Using a hohlraum produced thermal x-ray drive at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) to create pressure by material ablation, a shock exceeding 200 Mbar can be driven through a planar, solid-density target and into a lower-density foam material. The shock driven through the foam is strongly radiative, and this radiation significantly alters the dynamics of the system, including those of the Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) fluid instability at the interface between the two materials. We discuss here the design of experiments that can produce such radiative conditions. One will be able to compare the observed growth rates with an extensive body of hydrodynamic experiments performed previously. In this paper, we describe a set of 1D simulations performed to understand the mechanisms of stabilization in a strongly radiative Rayleigh-Taylor unstable system. Simulation results are used to calculate modified analytic RT growth rates which have been proposed in the literature. Calculations predict reduced RT spike growth as a result of increases in density gradient scale length and mass ablation from the unstable interface. This work has direct applicability to the observable features in upcoming NIF experiments.

Electronic measurement of microchannel plate pulse height distributions.

MicroChannel plates are a central component to the x-ray framing cameras used in many plasma experiment diagnostic systems. The microchannel plate serves as an amplifying element, increasing the electronic signal from incident radiation by a factor of

Target Fabrication at the University of Michigan

10^3-10^5

Performance of Au transmission photocathode on a microchannel plate detector

, with a broad pulse-height distribution. Seeking to optimize the photon-to-electron conversion efficiency and noise distribution of x-ray cameras, we will characterize the pulse-height distribution of the electron output from a single microchannel plate. Replacing the framing cameras phosphor-coated fiber optic screen with a charge-collection plate and coupling to a low-noise multichannel analyzer, we will quantify the total charge generated per photon event over a range of x-ray energies and incident fluxes. The electronically-measured pulse height distribution will be compared to the same data collected via a purely-optical method, as described previously1

Concept to diagnose mix with imaging x-ray Thomson scattering

Abstract At the University of Michigan (U-M), we have successfully fabricated and characterized targets for our experimental campaigns since 2003. Because of the unique production environment, we iterate many models in the course of a single-shot plan and have the flexibility to test and alter target designs as needed throughout the build process. Over the past few years, many advances in target design and fabrication have allowed greater degrees of design complexity while retaining the high level of build precision necessary for microscale experiments on facilities such as the OMEGA laser. Extensive target metrology is carried out during and after the fabrication process to allow for full knowledge of experimental conditions and to ensure that all targets are within required specifications. Analysis of the variability in metrology measurements over the multiple-shot campaigns allows for the quantification of improvements in the target build quality and metrology measurements. We present a summary of the capabilities and recent developments of target fabrication at U-M, as well as progress and analysis of build repeatability.

Innovations in Target Fabrication Techniques at the University of Michigan

X-ray framing cameras, employing microchannel plates (MCPs) for detection and signal amplification, play a key role in research in high-energy-density physics. These instruments convert radiographic x-rays into electrons produced by plasma during such experiments into electrons that are amplified in the channels and then detected by a phosphor material. The separation of detection from signal amplification offers potential improvements in sensitivity and noise properties. We have implemented a suspended Au transmission photocathode (160 A thick) on a MCP and are evaluating it using a 1.5 keV Al K alpha x-ray source. We find an approximately twofold increase in the ratio of detected events to incident photons when the photocathode-to-MCP voltage difference is sufficiently large. Our calculations indicate that this increase is probably caused by a combination of signal produced by the photocathode and an increase in the efficiency of detection of x-rays that reach the MCP surface through modification of the local electric field.

Same-shot x-ray Thomson scattering and streaked imaging of radiative shock experiments at Omega

Turbulent mixing of two fluid species is a ubiquitous problem, prevalent in systems such as inertial confinement fusion (ICF) capsule implosions, supernova remnants, and other astrophysical systems. In complex, high Reynolds number compressible high energy density (HED) flows such as these, hydrodynamic instabilities initiate the turbulent mixing process, which can then feedback and alter the mean hydrodynamic motion through nonlinear processes. In order to predict how these systems evolve under turbulent conditions, models are used. However, these models require detailed quantitative data to validate and constrain their detailed physics models as well as improve them. Providing this much needed data is currently at the forefront of HED research but is proving elusive due to a lack of available diagnostics capable of directly measuring detailed flow variables. Thomson scattering is a promising technique in this regard as it provides fundamental conditions of the flow (ρ, T, Zbar) due to its direct interaction with the small scales of the fluid or plasma and was recently considered as a possible mix diagnostic. With the development of imaging x-ray Thomson scattering (IXRTS) obtaining spatial profiles of these variables is within reach. We propose a novel use of the IXRTS technique that will provide more detailed quantitative data required for model validation in mix experiments.