Optical pyrometer system for collisionless shock experiments in high-power laser-produced plasmas

Area of Science:

• Plasma physics
• Optical diagnostics
• Laser-produced plasmas

Background:

• Accurate measurement of plasma properties is crucial for understanding high-energy density physics.
• Laser-produced plasmas are complex systems requiring advanced diagnostic tools.
• Previous methods for plasma characterization have limitations in temporal and spatial resolution.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and field a temporally and spatially resolved optical pyrometer system for Gekko XII experiments.
• To measure self-emission from laser-produced plasmas.
• To assess the system's applicability for determining electron temperature and density in low-density plasmas.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a gated optical imager (GOI) and a streaked optical pyrometer (SOP).
• Measured plasma self-emission at 450 nm with a ~10 nm FWHM bandpass filter.
• Calibrated measurements using multiple methods, achieving agreement within 30%.

Main Results:

• Successfully fielded a temporally and spatially resolved optical pyrometer system.
• Demonstrated the system's capability to measure plasma self-emission intensity.
• Validated the system's accuracy through cross-calibration.

Conclusions:

• The developed optical pyrometer system is a valuable tool for characterizing laser-produced plasmas.
• The system provides accurate measurements of electron temperature and density in low-density plasmas.
• Applicable for studying phenomena such as collisionless shock experiments.