Corpuscular diagnostics and processing methods applied in investigations of laser-produced plasma as a source of highly ionized ions

Abstract

This paper presents a set of complementary corpuscular diagnostics applied in experiments for investigation of laser-produced plasma as a source of ions. The measuring possibilities and methods for processing experimental data of a cylindrical electrostatic ion energy analyzer, a Thomson parabola ion analyzer, various types of electrostatic probes, a detector of neutral atom fluxes, as well as methods for visualization of ion emission areas are discussed. Special attention was focused on the ion-induced secondary electron emission problem and its influence on the accuracy of the measurements.

Magnetic and electric deflector spectrometers for ion emission analysis from laser generated plasma

“…It consists in an electrostatic deflector of ions at 90° with respect to the incident direction based on two curved metallic plates from which is applied an high electric field. The system acts such as a filter permitting the deflection at 90°, towards the detector, only of the ions having the same energy-to-charge ratio (E/z), according to the equation [6]:…”

Ion energy distributions from laser-generated plasmas at two different intensities

“…Only the ions with a given energy-to-charge state ratio, E/z, can pass through the IEA and arrive to the electron multiplier, thus IEA operates such as an energy filter [8].…”

High Power Laser Laboratory at the Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion: equipment and preliminary research

“…Apart from the equipment mentioned above, another set of new diagnostic instruments is being prepared for further experiments. The following devices are in the stage of testing and installation: -a Thomson spectrometer [7] which gives information about the ion composition and the ion energies from a single laser shot; -an electrostatic ion energy analyzer [7] which determines the ion content and degree of ionization from many shots; -an X-ray Focusing Spectrometer of Spatial Resolution (FSSR) which allows collection of spectral data in the spectral range from 6 to 8 Å; -track detectors which enable the measurement of ion energy spectrum and the quantity of ions whose energy exceeds 100 keV/nucleon; -a fast X-ray four-frame camera which allows visualization of fast phenomena in plasma with ns resolution; -a two-frame polaro-interferometer designed for measurements of temporal and spatial distributions of electron concentration and magnetic fi elds in plasma; -a scintillation detection system for neutrons and hard X-rays which allows the measurement of fusion neutrons at ~2.5 MeV and hard X-rays above 50 keV. The above-mentioned diagnostic instruments will be successively implemented starting from the ion diagnostic equipment (track detectors, Thomson spectrometer, various ion collectors and SiC detectors) and the polaro-interferometer.…”