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Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 205001 (2009) [4 pages]

Observations of Electromagnetic Fields and Plasma Flow in Hohlraums with Proton Radiography

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C. K. Li, F. H. Séguin, J. A. Frenje, and R. D. Petrasso
Plasma Science and Fusion Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA

P. A. Amendt, R. P. J. Town, O. L. Landen, and J. R. Rygg
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550, USA

R. Betti*, J. P. Knauer, D. D. Meyerhofer*, and J. M. Soures
Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14623, USA

C. A. Back, J. D. Kilkenny, and A. Nikroo
General Atomics, San Diego, California 92186, USA

Received 28 January 2009; published 18 May 2009

We report on the first proton radiography of laser-irradiated hohlraums. This experiment, with vacuum gold (Au) hohlraums, resulted in observations of self-generated magnetic fields with peak values ∼106  G. Time-gated radiographs of monoenergetic protons with discrete energies (15.0 and 3.3 MeV) reveal dynamic pictures of field structures and plasma flow. Near the end of the 1-ns laser drive, a stagnating Au plasma (∼10  mg cm-3) forms at the center of the hohlraum. This is a consequence of supersonic, radially directed Au jets (∼1000  μm ns-1, ∼Mach  4) that arise from the interaction of laser-driven plasma bubbles expanding into one another.

© 2009 The American Physical Society

URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.102.205001
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevLett.102.205001
PACS:
52.38.Fz, 52.30.−q, 52.50.Jm, 52.57.−z

*Also at: Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14623, USA.

 
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