Development of x-ray and ion diagnostics of plasma obtained with a 10-TW femtosecond laser

摘要

Several x-ray and ion semiconductor detectors have been developed for the diagnostics of femtosecond laser plasma generated by a 10-TW laser which was recently commissioned for operation at the Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion, Warsaw. A range of detectors has been employed including a CdTe detector for hard x-rays and four detectors for proton detection. These four are SiC and GaN employing a sandwich structure, an interdigitated M-S-M InP detector and finally a silicon photo-diode equipped with an aluminium filter (to shield against scattered light). The detectors presented are innovative as they are not commonly used for the diagnostic of laser plasma. The details of the internal structures of the detectors are presented. The immunity of the detectors to the noise coming from the laser system and the femtosecond plasma is discussed. Lastly, the possibility for further modifications and improvements are considered and discussed.