A study of sacrificial mirrors for use prior to a laser wakefield accelerator driven by the Z-Petawatt laser

Le résumé fourni par la source

Many experiments at Sandia?s Z Pulsed Power Facility require x - ray backlighting diagnostics to understand experiment performance. Due to limitations in present - day source/detection modalities, most x - ray diagnostics at Z are restricted to photon energies < 20 keV, ultimately limiting the density, amount, and atomic number of targets diagnosable in experiments. These limitations force the use of low - Z materials like Beryllium, and they prevent acquisition of important backlighting data for materials/densities that are opaque to soft x - rays and where background emission from the Z load and transmission lines overwhelm diagnostics. In this LDRD project, we have investigated the design and development of a laser wakefield acceleration platform driven by the Z - Petawatt laser ? a platform that would enable the generation of a pulsed, collimated beam of high energ y x - rays up to 100 keV. Geometrical considerations for implementation on the Z Machine require the use of sacrificial mirrors , which have been tested in offline experiments in the Chama target chamber in building 983. Our results suggest the use of sacrifi cial mirrors would not necessarily inhibit the laser wakefield x - ray process , particularly with the benefits stemming from planned laser upgrades. These conclusions s upport the continuation of laser wakefield source research and the development of the nece ssary infrastructure to deliver the Z - Petawatt laser to the Z center section along the appropriate lines of sight. Ultimately, this new capability will provid e unprecedented view s through dense states of matter , enabling the use of previously incompatible target m aterials/designs, and uncover ing a new set of observables accessible through diffraction and spectroscopy in the hard x - ray regime. These will amplify the data return on precious Z shots and enhanc e Sandia?s ability to investigate fundamental physi cs in support of national security .

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