Abstract

To study the conversion of laser light into x-rays we have performed several experiments which isolate the significant physical issues. Three important areas have been experimentally examined: 1) the uniformity of focused laser beam, 2) thermal transport and hydrodynamics, and 3) the effects of material opacity. All of these experiments were performed with laser pulse widths of a few nanoseconds at laser light intensities of greater than 10¹⁴ W/cm² on flat gold targets. The controlled study of the various aspects of this complicated process has led to a better understanding of the physical processes important to x-ray conversion.

© 1988 Optical Society of America