Abstract for talk at Utsunomiya University, Feb. 6, 2008
Experimental and theoretical studies of laser interactions
with low-density foams
Jiri Limpouch
Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering, Czech Technical University,
Brehova 7, 115 19 Prague 1, Czech Republic
limpouch@fjfi.cvut.cz
ABSTRACT
Target design using low-density foam layers may significantly facilitate various applications of high
power lasers. Foam layers may be used in inertial fusion targets to improve implosion symmetry.
Transparent underdense foam layer may serve as a dynamic phase plate for spatiotemporal smoothing of
inhomogeneity patterns inside laser beams. Foam layers are also utilized in EOS studies for amplification
of the shock wave pressure due to impedance matching at material boundaries. Foams may be also
exploited for generation of quasi-homogeneous plasma for atomic physics and X-ray spectroscopy studies
and in astrophysics dedicated experiments. Interactions of femtosecond laser with foams may be used for
ion acceleration, laser-induced nuclear reactions and neutron source.
Structure and properties of low-density foams are briefly reviewed. Results are presented of a series
of experiment at 1 kJ 400 ps PALS iodine laser in Prague , where energy transport, shock wave generation,
foam plasma parameters and foil acceleration by laser heated foam material are measured. The basic
diagnostics include streaked x-ray slit imaging, multi-frame optical interferometry, detection of selfemission from shocked foil by optical streak, time-resolved and integrated measurement of laser
transmission through foam layers and x-ray spectroscopy with very high spectral (~10000) and spatial
(~8 m) resolution. Also, I shall present experimental results form 30 kJ 5 ns Nd-laser LIL near Bordeaux,
France, where smoothing of inhomogeneity patterns inside laser beams by laser transmission through foam
layer was demonstrated. Simple theoretical models of laser foams interactions will be presented together
with one-dimensional and two-dimensional simulations of laser foam interactions using Arbitrary
Lagrangian-Eulerian fluid code.
Abstract for talk at Utsunomiya University, Feb. 6, 2008
Research at the Department of Physical Electronics
of FNSPE CTU in Prague
Jiri Limpouch
Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering, Czech Technical University,
Brehova 7, 115 19 Prague 1, Czech Republic
limpouch@fjfi.cvut.cz
ABSTRACT
The department has extensive research activities in diffractive and non-linear optics, solid-state laser
technology, laser applications, X-ray detection and X-ray optics, capillary-discharge for X-ray pumping,
nanostructure and photonic crystal research, picosecond timing and detector technology, ion beam analysis
of materials, high-power laser-plasma interactions, computational physics of high-energy density system
and laser-target interactions.