Implementation of a Talbot-Lau x-ray deflectometer diagnostic platform for the OMEGA EP laser

M P Valdivia; D Stutman; C Stoeckl; C Mileham; J Zou; S Muller; K Kaiser; C Sorce; P A Keiter; J R Fein; M Trantham; R P Drake; S P Regan

doi:10.1063/1.5123919

Implementation of a Talbot-Lau x-ray deflectometer diagnostic platform for the OMEGA EP laser

Rev Sci Instrum. 2020 Feb 1;91(2):023511. doi: 10.1063/1.5123919.

Authors

M P Valdivia¹, D Stutman¹, C Stoeckl², C Mileham², J Zou², S Muller³, K Kaiser⁴, C Sorce², P A Keiter⁵, J R Fein⁶, M Trantham⁷, R P Drake⁷, S P Regan²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA.
² Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14623, USA.
³ General Atomics, Inertial Fusion Technology, San Diego, California 92121, USA.
⁴ Microworks GmbH, 76137 Karlsruhe, Germany.
⁵ Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87544, USA.
⁶ Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87123, USA.
⁷ Climate and Space Science and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA.

PMID: 32113451
DOI: 10.1063/1.5123919

Abstract

A Talbot-Lau X-ray Deflectometer (TXD) was implemented in the OMEGA EP laser facility to characterize the evolution of an irradiated foil ablation front by mapping electron densities >10²² cm^-3 by means of Moiré deflectometry. The experiment used a short-pulse laser (30-100 J, 10 ps) and a foil copper target as an x-ray backlighter source. In the first experimental tests performed to benchmark the diagnostic platform, grating survival was demonstrated and x-ray backlighter laser parameters that deliver Moiré images were described. The necessary modifications to accurately probe the ablation front through TXD using the EP-TXD diagnostic platform are discussed.