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Resolving ultrafast heating of dense cryogenic hydrogen.
U Zastrau1, P Sperling2, M Harmand3
1Institut für Optik und Quantenelektronik, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität, Max-Wien-Platz 1, 07743 Jena, Germany and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|April 1, 2014
Summary
Ultrafast X-ray free electron laser (XFEL) pulses rapidly heated cryogenic hydrogen, transforming it into a plasma. This study measured the electron-ion equilibration time, crucial for understanding dense plasma dynamics.
Area of Science:
- Plasma Physics
- Materials Science
- X-ray Science
Background:
- Understanding the behavior of matter under extreme conditions, such as rapid heating, is essential for various scientific fields.
- Cryogenic hydrogen serves as a fundamental system for studying phase transitions and plasma formation.
- Free electron lasers (XFELs) provide unique capabilities for probing ultrafast dynamics in matter.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the ultrafast heating dynamics of cryogenic hydrogen using a free electron laser X-ray burst.
- To determine the electron-ion equilibration time during the transition from dense molecular hydrogen to a plasma state.
- To validate theoretical models of plasma conductivity and hydrodynamics with experimental observations.
Main Methods:
- Initiation of ultrafast heating in cryogenic hydrogen using a ≲300 fs, 92 eV XFEL X-ray burst.
- Probing the structural evolution using a second X-ray pulse to measure X-ray scattering amplitude.
- Comparison of experimental results with radiation hydrodynamics simulations incorporating a partially ionized plasma conductivity model.
Main Results:
- Observed the transition of dense cryogenic molecular hydrogen to a nearly uncorrelated plasmalike structure.
- Determined an electron-ion equilibration time of approximately 0.9 picoseconds (ps).
- Radiation hydrodynamics simulations, validated by two-temperature density-functional theory, accurately reproduced the observed rise time.
Conclusions:
- The study successfully characterized the ultrafast heating dynamics and plasma formation in cryogenic hydrogen.
- The experimental measurement of electron-ion equilibration time provides critical data for plasma physics.
- The validated conductivity model offers a reliable tool for simulating similar high-energy density plasma phenomena.
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