Time-resolved X-ray diffraction diagnostic development for the National Ignition Facility

Area of Science:

• * Physics
• * Materials Science
• * Engineering

Background:

• * Understanding material behavior under extreme conditions, such as high pressures generated by lasers, is crucial for various scientific and engineering applications.
• * Dynamic compression experiments require sophisticated diagnostics to capture transient material states.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To develop and demonstrate an experimental platform for collecting time-resolved X-ray diffraction (XRD) data during laser-driven dynamic compression.
• * To enable in-situ measurements of material structure under extreme pressures.

Main Methods:

• * Development of a diagnostic imager with ultrafast sensors (2-ns integration time).
• * Construction of a custom target assembly for sample support and imager shielding.
• * Generation of a quasi-monochromatic X-ray source (10-ns duration) using laser-generated plasma.

Main Results:

• * Successful collection of four frames of XRD data along a single line of sight.
• * Demonstration of the platform's performance using lead (Pb) ramp compressed to 150 GPa.
• * Acquisition of diffraction data illuminated by a Germanium (Ge) X-ray source producing ~7 × 10^11 photons/ns at 10.25 keV.

Conclusions:

• * The developed platform provides a novel capability for studying dynamic material compression.
• * The results demonstrate the feasibility of obtaining time-resolved structural information at extreme pressures.