Efficient production of 2--10 keV x-rays by laser heated ''underdense radiators''

摘要

The next generation of high power lasers offers the prospect of creating multi-kilovolt x-rays with (gt)10% efficiency. Such efficiencies are achieved with ''underdense radiators'', a non- traditional source of laser generated x-rays. Applications of these sources with the proposed National Ignition Facility (NIF) include volume preheating of experiments; bright, multi-keV backlighting; pumps for fluorescent imaging of capsule dopants and Doppler velocimetry; uniform irradiation of large test objects. This paper presents two-dimensional numerical simulations for these high power lasers with unprecedented efficiency.