Radiation and Hydrodynamics|26 Article(s)
Laser-driven electrodynamic implosion of fast ions in a thin shell
S. Yu. Gus’kov, Ph. Korneev, and M. Murakami
Collision of laser-driven subrelativistic high-density ion flows provides a way to create extremely compressed ion conglomerates and study their properties. This paper presents a theoretical study of the electrodynamic implosion of ions inside a hollow spherical or cylindrical shell irradiated by femtosecond petawatt laser pulses. We propose to apply a very effective mechanism for ion acceleration in a self-consistent field with strong charge separation, based on the oscillation of laser-accelerated fast electrons in this field near the thin shell. Fast electrons are generated on the outer side of the shell under irradiation by the intense laser pulses. It is shown that ions, in particular protons, may be accelerated at the implosion stage to energies of tens and hundreds of MeV when a sub-micrometer shell is irradiated by femtosecond laser pulses with an intensity of 1021–1023 W cm-2.
Matter and Radiation at Extremes
  • Publication Date: Jan. 01, 2023
  • Vol. 8, Issue 5, 056602 (2023)
Physical insights from imaginary-time density–density correlation functions
Tobias Dornheim, Zhandos A. Moldabekov, Panagiotis Tolias, Maximilian Böhme, and Jan Vorberger
An accurate theoretical description of the dynamic properties of correlated quantum many-body systems, such as the dynamic structure factor S(q, ω), is important in many fields. Unfortunately, highly accurate quantum Monte Carlo methods are usually restricted to the imaginary time domain, and the analytic continuation of the imaginary-time density–density correlation function F(q, τ) to real frequencies is a notoriously hard problem. Here, it is argued that often no such analytic continuation is required because by definition, F(q, τ) contains the same physical information as does S(q, ω), only represented unfamiliarly. Specifically, it is shown how one can directly extract key information such as the temperature or quasi-particle excitation energies from the τ domain, which is highly relevant for equation-of-state measurements of matter under extreme conditions [T. Dornheim et al., Nat. Commun. 13, 7911 (2022)]. As a practical example, ab initio path-integral Monte Carlo results for the uniform electron gas (UEG) are considered, and it is shown that even nontrivial processes such as the roton feature of the UEG at low density [T. Dornheim et al., Commun. Phys. 5, 304 (2022)] are manifested straightforwardly in F(q, τ). A comprehensive overview is given of various useful properties of F(q, τ) and how it relates to the usual dynamic structure factor. In fact, working directly in the τ domain is advantageous for many reasons and opens up multiple avenues for future applications.
Matter and Radiation at Extremes
  • Publication Date: Jan. 01, 2023
  • Vol. 8, Issue 5, 056601 (2023)
A systematic investigation of radiation collapse for disruption avoidance and prevention on JET tokamak
R. Rossi, M. Gelfusa, T. Craciunescu, L. Spolladore, I. Wyss, E. Peluso, J. Vega, C. F. Maggi, J. Mailloux, M. Maslov, A. Murari, and [in Chinese]
To produce fusion reactions efficiently, thermonuclear plasmas have to reach extremely high temperatures, which is incompatible with their coming into contact with material surfaces. Confinement of plasmas using magnetic fields has progressed significantly in the last years, particularly in the tokamak configuration. Unfortunately, all tokamak devices, and particularly metallic ones, are plagued by catastrophic events called disruptions. Many disruptions are preceded by anomalies in the radiation patterns, particularly in ITER-relevant scenarios. These specific forms of radiation emission either directly cause or reveal the approaching collapse of the configuration. Detecting the localization of these radiation anomalies in real time requires an innovative and specific elaboration of bolometric measurements, confirmed by visible cameras and the inversion of sophisticated tomographic algorithms. The information derived from these measurements can be interpreted in terms of local power balances, which suggest a new quantity, the radiated power divided by the plasma internal energy, to determine the criticality of the plasma state. Combined with robust indicators of the temperature profile shape, the identified anomalous radiation patterns allow determination of the sequence of macroscopic events leading to disruptions. A systematic analysis of JET campaigns at high power in deuterium, full tritium, and DT, for a total of almost 2000 discharges, proves the effectiveness of the approach. The warning times are such that, depending on the radiation anomaly and the available actuators, the control system of future devices is expected to provide enough notice to enable deployment of effective prevention and avoidance strategies.
Matter and Radiation at Extremes
  • Publication Date: Jan. 01, 2023
  • Vol. 8, Issue 4, 046903 (2023)
A multi-material diagnosis method based on high-energy proton radiography
Feng Chen, Haibo Xu, Junhui Shi, Xinge Li, and Na Zheng
Diagnosis of fluids is extremely significant at high temperatures and high pressures. As an advanced imaging technique, high-energy proton radiography has great potential for application to the diagnosis of high-density fluids. In high-energy proton radiography, an angular collimator can control the proton flux and thus enable material diagnosis and reconstruction of density. In this paper, we propose a multi-material diagnostic method using angular collimators. The method is verified by reconstructing the density distribution from the proton flux obtained via theoretical calculations and numerical simulations. We simulate a 20 GeV proton imaging system using the Geant4 software toolkit and obtain the characteristic parameters of single-material objects. We design several concentric spherical objects to verify the method. We discuss its application to detonation tests. The results show that this method can determine the material and boundary information about each component of a multi-material object. Thus, it can be used to diagnose a mixed material and reconstruct densities in a detonation.
Matter and Radiation at Extremes
  • Publication Date: Jan. 01, 2023
  • Vol. 8, Issue 4, 046902 (2023)
Shock standards Cu, Ag, Ir, and Pt in a wide pressure range
Leonid Burakovsky, Dean L. Preston, Scott D. Ramsey, Charles E. Starrett, and Roy S. Baty
Although they are polymorphic (multiphase) materials, both copper and silver are reliable Hugoniot standards, and thus it is necessary to establish an accurate analytic model of their principal Hugoniots. Here we present analytic forms of their principal Hugoniots, as well as those of iridium and platinum, two “pusher” standards for shock-ramp experiments, over a wide range of pressures. They are based on our new analytic model of the principal Hugoniot [Burakovsky et al., J. Appl. Phys. 132, 215109 (2022)]. Comparison of the four Hugoniots with experimental and independent theoretical data (such data exist to very high pressures for both copper and silver) demonstrates excellent agreement. Hence, the new model for copper and silver can be considered as providing the corresponding Hugoniot standards over a wide pressure range. We also suggest an approach for calculating the Grüneisen parameter along the Hugoniot and apply it to copper as a prototype, and our results appear to be in good agreement with the available data.
Matter and Radiation at Extremes
  • Publication Date: Jan. 01, 2023
  • Vol. 8, Issue 4, 046901 (2023)
Effects of electron heating and surface rippling on Rayleigh–Taylor instability in radiation pressure acceleration
X. Z. Wu, Y. R. Shou, Z. B. Guo, H. G. Lu, J. X. Liu, D. Wu, Z. Gong, and X. Q. Yan
The acceleration of ultrathin targets driven by intense laser pulses induces Rayleigh–Taylor-like instability. Apart from laser and target configurations, we find that electron heating and surface rippling, effects inherent to the interaction process, have an important role in instability evolution and growth. By employing a simple analytical model and two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations, we show that the onset of electron heating in the early stage of the acceleration suppresses the growth of small-scale modes, but it has little influence on the growth of large-scale modes, which thus become dominant. With the growth of surface ripples, a mechanism that can significantly influence the growth of these large-scale modes is found. The laser field modulation caused by surface rippling generates an oscillatory ponderomotive force, directly modulating transverse electron density at a faster growth rate than that of ions and eventually enhancing instability growth. Our results show that when surface deformation becomes obvious, electron surface oscillation at 2ω0 (where ω0 is the laser frequency) is excited simultaneously, which can be seen as a signature of this mechanism.
Matter and Radiation at Extremes
  • Publication Date: Jan. 01, 2023
  • Vol. 8, Issue 3, 036902 (2023)
Estimation of plasma parameters of X-pinch with time-resolved x-ray spectroscopy
Seunggi Ham, Jonghyeon Ryu, Hakmin Lee, Sungbin Park, Y.-C. Ghim, Y. S. Hwang, and Kyoung-Jae Chung
We estimate the parameters of a Cu plasma generated by an X-pinch by comparing experimentally measured x-rays with synthetic data. A filtered absolute extreme ultraviolet diode array is used to measure time-resolved x-ray spectra with a spectral resolution of ∼1 keV in the energy range of 1–10 keV. The synthetic spectra of Cu plasmas with different electron temperatures, electron densities, and fast electron fractions are calculated using the FLYCHK code. For quantitative comparison with the measured spectrum, two x-ray power ratios with three different spectral ranges are calculated. We observe three x-ray bursts in X-pinch experiments with two Cu wires conducted on the SNU X-pinch at a current rise rate of ∼0.2 kA/ns. Analysis of the spectra reveals that the first burst comprises x-rays emitted by hot spots and electron beams, with characteristics similar to those observed in other X-pinches. The second and third bursts are both generated by long-lived electron beams formed after the neck structure has been completely depleted. In the second burst, the formation of the electron beam is accompanied by an increase in the electron density of the background plasma. Therefore, the long-lived electron beams generate the additional strong x-ray bursts while maintaining a plasma channel in the central region of the X-pinch. Moreover, they emit many hard x-rays (HXRs), enabling the SNU X-pinch to be used as an HXR source. This study confirms that the generation of long-lived electron beams is crucial to the dynamics of X-pinches and the generation of strong HXRs.
Matter and Radiation at Extremes
  • Publication Date: Jan. 01, 2023
  • Vol. 8, Issue 3, 036901 (2023)
Theoretical model of radiation heat wave in two-dimensional cylinder with sleeve
Cheng-Jian Xiao, Guang-Wei Meng, and Ying-Kui Zhao
A semi-analytical model is constructed to investigate two-dimensional radiation heat waves (Marshak waves) in a low-Z foam cylinder with a sleeve made of high-Z material. In this model, the energy loss to the high-Z wall is regarded as the primary two-dimensional effect and is taken into account via an indirect approach in which the energy loss is subtracted from the drive source and the wall loss is ignored. The interdependent Marshak waves in the low-Z foam and high-Z wall are used to estimate the energy loss. The energies and the heat front position calculated using the model under typical inertial confinement fusion conditions are verified by simulations. The validated model provides a theoretical tool for studying two-dimensional Marshak waves and should be helpful in providing further understanding of radiation transport.
Matter and Radiation at Extremes
  • Publication Date: Jan. 01, 2023
  • Vol. 8, Issue 2, 026901 (2023)
Effect of ablation on the nonlinear spike growth for the single-mode ablative Rayleigh–Taylor instability
J. Y. Fu, H. S. Zhang, H. B. Cai, P. L. Yao, and S. P. Zhu
The effect of ablation on the nonlinear spike growth of single-mode ablative Rayleigh–Taylor instability (RTI) is studied by two-dimensional numerical simulations. It is shown that the ablation can reduce the quasi-constant velocity and significantly suppress the reacceleration of the spike in the nonlinear phase. It is also shown that the spike growth can affect the ablation-generated vorticity inside the bubble, which further affects the nonlinear bubble acceleration. The vorticity evolution is found to be correlated with the mixing width (i.e., the sum of the bubble and spike growths) for a given wave number and ablation velocity. By considering the effects of mass ablation and vorticity, an analytical model for the nonlinear bubble and spike growth of single-mode ablative RTI is developed in this study. It is found that the nonlinear growth of the mixing width, induced by the single mode, is dominated by the bubble growth for small-scale ablative RTI, whereas it is dominated by the spike growth for classical RTI.
Matter and Radiation at Extremes
  • Publication Date: Jan. 01, 2023
  • Vol. 8, Issue 1, 016901 (2023)
Insensitivity of a turbulent laser-plasma dynamo to initial conditions
A. F. A. Bott, L. Chen, P. Tzeferacos, C. A. J. Palmer, A. R. Bell, R. Bingham, A. Birkel, D. H. Froula, J. Katz, M. W. Kunz, C.-K. Li, H-S. Park, R. Petrasso, J. S. Ross, B. Reville, D. Ryu, F. H. Séguin, T. G. White, A. A. Schekochihin, D. Q. Lamb, and G. Gregori
It has recently been demonstrated experimentally that a turbulent plasma created by the collision of two inhomogeneous, asymmetric, weakly magnetized, laser-produced plasma jets can generate strong stochastic magnetic fields via the small-scale turbulent dynamo mechanism, provided the magnetic Reynolds number of the plasma is sufficiently large. In this paper, we compare such a plasma with one arising from two pre-magnetized plasma jets whose creation is identical save for the addition of a strong external magnetic field imposed by a pulsed magnetic field generator. We investigate the differences between the two turbulent systems using a Thomson-scattering diagnostic, x-ray self-emission imaging, and proton radiography. The Thomson-scattering spectra and x-ray images suggest that the external magnetic field has a limited effect on the plasma dynamics in the experiment. Although the external magnetic field induces collimation of the flows in the colliding plasma jets and although the initial strengths of the magnetic fields arising from the interaction between the colliding jets are significantly larger as a result of the external field, the energies and morphologies of the stochastic magnetic fields post-amplification are indistinguishable. We conclude that, for turbulent laser-plasmas with supercritical magnetic Reynolds numbers, the dynamo-amplified magnetic fields are determined by the turbulent dynamics rather than the seed fields or modest changes in the initial flow dynamics of the plasma, a finding consistent with theoretical expectations and simulations of turbulent dynamos.
Matter and Radiation at Extremes
  • Publication Date: Jan. 01, 2022
  • Vol. 7, Issue 4, 046901 (2022)