High Power Laser Science and Engineering (Jan 2023)

Phase imaging of irradiated foils at the OMEGA EP facility using phase-stepping X-ray Talbot–Lau deflectometry

  • G. Pérez-Callejo,
  • V. Bouffetier,
  • L. Ceurvorst,
  • T. Goudal,
  • S. R. Klein,
  • D. Svyatskiy,
  • M. Holec,
  • P. Perez-Martin,
  • K. Falk,
  • A. Casner,
  • T. E. Weber,
  • G. Kagan,
  • M. P. Valdivia

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1017/hpl.2023.44
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11

Abstract

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Diagnosing the evolution of laser-generated high energy density (HED) systems is fundamental to develop a correct understanding of the behavior of matter under extreme conditions. Talbot–Lau interferometry constitutes a promising tool, since it permits simultaneous single-shot X-ray radiography and phase-contrast imaging of dense plasmas. We present the results of an experiment at OMEGA EP that aims to probe the ablation front of a laser-irradiated foil using a Talbot–Lau X-ray interferometer. A polystyrene (CH) foil was irradiated by a laser of 133 J, 1 ns and probed with 8 keV laser-produced backlighter radiation from Cu foils driven by a short-pulse laser (153 J, 11 ps). The ablation front interferograms were processed in combination with a set of reference images obtained ex situ using phase-stepping. We managed to obtain attenuation and phase-shift images of a laser-irradiated foil for electron densities above ${10}^{22}\;{\mathrm{cm}}^{-3}$ . These results showcase the capabilities of Talbot–Lau X-ray diagnostic methods to diagnose HED laser-generated plasmas through high-resolution imaging.

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