Quanxi Xue

Laser-direct-driven quasi-isentropic experiments on aluminum

Laser-direct-driven ramp compression experiments were performed on long temporally shaped laser pulses based on an analytical isentropic compression model. Upper pressure limits, the ablation pressure scaling law, and stress-density curves were studied. The validity of the analytical model used, the ablation pressure scaling law, and the phenomena of missing line-imaging velocity interferometer (VISAR) fringes in the experimental results are discussed.

Characteristic method for isentropic compression simulation

A characteristic method has been developed using a Murnaghan-form isentropic equation and characteristics, which has been verified by example uses. General information of two ramp compression experiments was calculated, which matched experimental ones well except for some tiny distinctions. Finally, the factors influencing the precision of this model were discussed and other practical applications were presented.

Progress on high power excimer laser in NINT

Excimer laser has been shown to be efficient tools in plasma physics and material science. Recent progress on techniques of beam control in excimer laser system required for energy scaling are overviewed, Configuration and initial results of a 100J/10ns, 18 beam excimer laser system are given.

Progress on a short pulse excimer laser system with beam smoothing

A short pulse XeCl laser system is being developed for plasma physics and material science study. Partial spatial incoherence seed with short pulse is amplified by MOPA chain including three discharge pumped amplifiers and two electron beam pumped amplifiers for one beam. Final laser output of 5~10J in energy with pulse width of around 10ns has been achieved, which lays a good foundation for full scale construction.

Laser pulse shape design for laser-indirect-driven quasi-isentropic compression experiments

Laser pulse shape design is a key work in the design of indirect-laser-driven experiments, especially for long pulse laser driven quasi-isentropic compression experiments. A method for designing such a laser pulse shape is given here. What’s more, application experiments were performed, and the results of a typical shot are presented. At last of this article, the details of the application of the method are discussed, such as the equation parameter choice, radiation ablation pressure expression, and approximations in the method. The application shows that the method can provide reliable descriptions of the energy distribution in a hohlraum target; thus, it can be used in the design of long-pulse laser driven quasi-isentropic compression experiments and even other indirect-laser-driven experiments.

Analytical isentropic compression model and its application in a laser-direct-driven ramp compression experiment

An analytical isentropic compression model for condensed matter is reported, which can provide explicit solutions for isentropic compression fields. To demonstrate this model, a laser-direct-driven ramp compression experiment is performed using an 8-ns, 740-J temporally shaped laser, achieving a peak pressure of 425 GPa in solid aluminum, which value exceeds all previous experimental results. The primary application suggests that this model can function as an important prototype for ramp compression experiments, and the temporally shaped laser direct-driven ramp compression technique can form a practical method to achieve isentropic compression.

High power excimer laser image relay system analysis using Delano diagram

The characteristics of Delano diagram are especially helpful in instrumental systems type with considerably separated components. For high power excimer laser system, especially for image relay scheme, the Delano diagram method is highly advantageous for the system’s thin lens layout design. A primitive experimental image relay and it’s combination optical layout is investigated in our high power XeCl laser system, with intensity smoothed spatial incoherent source. Instead of the uniform intensity distribution on the target as expected, it is obvious shows in the final image on the target that a gauss like intensity profile and a large amount of astigmatism results. There are two possible reasons: the first one is that not keeping proper relay of pupil plane (or Fourier plane) in the final stage, simply care the collimated beam of virtual object in the final focusing stage. With the help of Delano diagram, it’s clearly shown in the diagram that the Fourier plane and the image plane come very close, indicates that a complete image relay of the object plane and Fourier plane is needed. The second reason is due to the off-axis setup in the large aperture main amplifier, which introduce significant astigmatism aberrations in the final optical path. This question can be solved using proper tilt and de-center of reflective mirror pair setup, and two possible such combination pairs are proposed.

ASE suppression of XeCl excimer laser MOPA system using UV electro-optical switch

In high power eximer laser system, amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) decreases the signal contrast ratio severely, leads to waveform broadening and distortion, and impacts on accurate physical experiments. In this article, based on principle of short pulse generation by electro-optical (E-O) switch, a method for ASE suppression of laser amplifiers chain was established. A series of studies on UV electro-optical switches were carried out, and electro-optical (E-O) switches with high extinction ratio were developed. In the waveform clipping experiments of the first pre-amplifier, the extinction ratio of the single and cascaded dual E-O switch reaches 103 and 104 order of magnitude, the laser pulse signal contrast ratio was promoted to 105 and 106 level, respectively. In the experiments of single channel MOPA (Master Oscillator Power Amplifier system), the cascaded dual E-O switch was adopted to suppress ASE of the whole system, and a fine narrow pulse was obtained on the target surface, which gives out one effective solution to the problem of waveform amplification of the high power eximer laser system.

The diagnostics of plasmas produced by a high power excimer laser system

A special designed long pulse XeCl MOPA laser system and its initial laser-target experiments are introduced. Laser produced plasmas of carbon, aluminum and copper are concerned. Based on measured results of plasma spectra and framing pictures of ejected plume, Plasma temperature and expanded speed of plasma flume are obtained.