Generation of dense plasmas and strong currents with intense, ultra-short laser pulses [Elektronische Ressource] / Jens Osterholz

Generation of dense plasmas and strong currents with intense, ultra-short laser pulses Habilitationsschrift Jens Osterholz Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf Februar 2009 Abstract The physics of dense plasmas is an important field of research with relevance to applied and fundamental science. Due to the rapid progress in laser technology, novel experiments investigating the properties of dense plasmas in the laboratory have become possible in the recent years. Although these experiments have strongly contributed to our understanding of the physics of dense plasmas, there are still many open questions. In the first part of this work, radiative properties and the equation of state (EOS) of dense plasmas with relevance to astrophysics and fusion research are investigated. Thin layers of dense plasmas with temperatures of 200 eV are produced by isochoric heating of solids with high contrast, sub-10-fs laser pulses. The XUV emission from the plasmas generated from different target materials is analyzed in detail. Separate absorption measurements confirm a plasma scale length of the order of one nanometer during the interaction. The thickness of the plasma layer of about 10 nm is limited by the penetration depth of the laser into the solid target. For the production of thicker samples, a second method based on isochoric heating with laser driven proton beams is pursued.