Gael Huser

Progress in the study of Warm Dense Matter

In the last few years, high power lasers have demonstrated the possibility to explore a new state of matter, the so-called warm dense matter. Among the possible techniques utilized to generate this state, we present the dynamic compression technique using high power lasers. Applications to planetary cores material (iron) will be discussed. Finally new diagnostics such as proton and hard-x-ray radiography of a shock propagating in a solid target will be presented.

Temperature and melting of laser-shocked iron releasing into an LiF window

Absolute reflectivity and self-emission diagnostics are used to determine the gray-body equivalent temperature of laser-shocked iron partially releasing into a lithium fluoride window. Pressure and reflectivity are measured simultaneously by means of velocity interferometer system for any reflector interferometers. In the temperature-pressure plane, a temperature plateau in the release is observed which is attributed to iron’s melting line. Extrapolation of data leads to a melting temperature at Earth’s inner-outer core boundary of 7800±1200K, in good agreement with previous works based on dynamic compression. Shock temperatures were calculated and found to be in the liquid phase.

High pressures generated by laser driven shocks: applications to planetary physics

High power lasers are a tool that can be used to determine important parameters in the context of Warm Dense Matter, i.e. at the convergence of low-temperature plasma physics and finite-temperature condensed matter physics. Recent results concerning planet inner core materials such as water and iron are presented. We determined the equation of state, temperature and index of refraction of water for pressures up to 7 Mbar. The release state of iron in a LiF window allowed us to investigate the melting temperature near the inner core boundary conditions. Finally, the first application of proton radiography to the study of shocked material is also discussed.

Laser-driven shock waves for the study of extreme matter states

During the last ten years, the ability of high power lasers to generate high energy density shocks has made them a reliable tool to study extreme states of matter. These states of matter are relevant in many important physics areas such as astrophysics, planetology and ICF physics. Here, we present some representative studies performed by using a driven laser shock: melting of iron at pressures relevant for geophysics, developments of new techniques to measure the density of highly compressed matter and a study of a radiative shock.

Hugoniot and mean ionization of laser-shocked Ge-doped plastic

Pressure, density, temperature, and reflectivity measurements along the principal Hugoniot of Ge-doped plastics used in Inertial Confinement Fusion capsules surrogates were obtained to pressures reaching up to 7 Mbar and compared to Quotidian Equation of State models. The experiment was performed using the GEKKO XII laser at the Institute of Laser Engineering at Osaka University in Japan. High precision measurements of pressure and density were obtained using a quartz standard and found to be in good agreement with theoretical Hugoniot curves. Modeling of reflectivity measurements show that shocked samples can be described as poor metals and that mean ionization calculated within the frame of QEOS is overestimated. Similarly, shock temperatures were found to be below theoretical Hugoniot curves.

Interface velocity of laser shocked Fe/LiF targets

The interface velocity of iron partially releasing into a lithium fluoride (LiF) window has been measured using VISAR technique. Corrections to the fringe-per-velocity relationship are presented. A good agreement with hydrodynamic simulations is found at laser intensities <2×1013 W/cm2. For higher intensities, velocities appear to be lower than the numerical predictions. A strong modification of compressed LiF index of refraction behavior might explain such a discrepancy.

Dissociation along the principal Hugoniot of the Laser Mégajoule ablator material.

Glow discharge polymer hydrocarbon (GDP-CH) is used as the ablator material in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) capsules for the Laser Mégajoule and National Ignition Facility. Due to its fabrication process, GDP-CH chemical composition and structure differ from commercially available plastics and detailed knowledge of its properties in the warm dense matter regime is needed to achieve accurate design of ICF capsules. First-principles ab initio simulations of the GDP-CH principal Hugoniot up to 8 Mbar were performed using the quantum molecular dynamics (QMD) code abinit and showed that atomic bond dissociation has an effect on the compressibility. Results from these simulations are used to parametrize a quantum semiempirical model in order to generate a tabulated equation of state that includes dissociation. Hugoniot measurements obtained from an experiment conducted at the LULI2000 laser facility confirm QMD simulations as well as EOS modeling. We conclude by showing the EOS model influence on shock timing in a hydrodynamic simulation.

Impact of oxygen on the 300-K isotherm of Laser Megajoule ablator using ab initio simulation.

The ablator material for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) capsules on the Laser Mégajoule is a glow-discharge polymer (GDP) plastic. Its equation of state (EOS) is of primary importance for the design of such capsules, since it has direct consequences on shock timing and is essential to mitigate hydrodynamic instabilities. Using ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD), we have investigated the 300-K isotherm of amorphous CH(1.37)O(0.08) plastic, whose structure is close to GDP plastic. The 300-K isotherm, which is often used as a cold curve within tabular EOS, is an important contribution of the EOS in the multimegabar pressure range. AIMD results are compared to analytic models within tabular EOS, pointing out large discrepancies. In addition, we show that the effect of oxygen decreases 300-K isotherm pressure by 10%-15%. The implication of these observations is the ability to improve ICF target performance, which is essential to achieve fusion ignition.

Measurement of the equation of state and of the index of refraction of an amorphous glow discharge polymer up to 45 GPa

We present an experimental determination of the ambient temperature equation of state, P(ρ/ρ0,293 K), up to 45 GPa, of the glow discharge polymer (GDP) used as a confining capsule for the fusible deuterium-tritium mixture in inertial confinement fusion experiments. An original method has been implemented to measure both the compression factor and the refractive index versus pressure. The data are obtained in a diamond anvil cell with two sample chambers of equal thickness containing, respectively, the GDP and a NaCl reference. This experimental equation of state is compared to numerical first principles simulations. Deviations are ascribed to the difficulty to simulate the detailed atomic structure of the polymer under moderate pressure.

Hugoniot equation of state of Si-doped glow discharge polymer and scaling to other plastic ablators

Pressure, density, and temperature were measured along the principal Hugoniot of the Si-doped Glow Discharge Polymer used in Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) capsules up to 5 Mbar, covering conditions beyond the first shock in a full-scale Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) capsule. The experiments were performed using the GEKKOXII laser at the Institute of Laser Engineering at Osaka University in Japan. Results are in good agreement with predictions obtained from ab initio Hugoniot calculations, but softer than the quotidian equation of state average atom model. Ab initio calculations show that dissociation of carbon bonds need to be taken into account in order to explain Hugoniot compressibility.