Results of our preliminary studies for a demonstration of soft X-ray laser Thomson scattering in laser-produced dense plasma are presented,. The investigated plasmas are produced by single-side heated foil targets using a 300-ps pulse of 438-nm wavelength at irradiances between 1013 and 1014 Wcmf2, The Ne-like zinc X-ray laser, delivering ~1 m.I of focused energy at 21,2 nm, is injected to the plasma as the Thomson probe. The X-ray laser pulse is timed to arrive to the plasma 0 5 or 1 ns after the peak of the optical pulse, encountering electron densities in the range of 1020-1022 cm"3. The spectrum near 21 nm, emitted at -30° with respect to the incident X-ray laser, is analyzed by a flat-field spectrometer viewing through the back of the target. The results show that the choice of appropriate target material and thickness are essential to the success of this experiment. From the spectroscopic measurements using Al and polypropylene (CjHg) foils, the latter appears as a suitable candidate for Thomson scattering experiments near 21 nm. A weak spectral feature near 21,2 nm potentially indicating Thomson scattering was observed using a 1,2 urn polypropylene foil. Further data analysis is required to support this conclusion.
展开▼
