Spatially resolved Thomson scattering measurements of the transition from the collective to the non-collective regime in a laser-produced plasma

D B Schaeffer; C G Constantin; A S Bondarenko; E T Everson; C Niemann

doi:10.1063/1.4955304

Spatially resolved Thomson scattering measurements of the transition from the collective to the non-collective regime in a laser-produced plasma

Rev Sci Instrum. 2016 Nov;87(11):11E701. doi: 10.1063/1.4955304.

Authors

D B Schaeffer¹, C G Constantin¹, A S Bondarenko¹, E T Everson¹, C Niemann¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California- Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.

PMID: 27910524
DOI: 10.1063/1.4955304

Abstract

We present optical Thomson scattering results that image for the first time in a single measurement the spatial transition from collective to non-collective scattering. Data were taken in the Phoenix laser laboratory at the University of California, Los Angeles. The Raptor laser was used to ablate a carbon plasma, which was diagnosed with the frequency-doubled Phoenix laser serving as a Thomson scattering probe. Scattered light was collected from the laser plasma up to 10 cm from the target surface and up to 10 us after ablation, and imaged with high spatial and spectral resolutions. The results show a strong Thomson collective feature close to the target surface that smoothly transitions to a non-collective feature over several mm.