Multi-frame x-ray radiography and image tracking for quantification of expansion in laser-driven tin ejecta microjets

One regime of experimental particle-laden flow study involves ejecta microjets-often defined as a stream of micrometer-scale particles generated through shock interaction with a non-uniform surface and generally travel above 1 km/s. In order to capture the change in characteristics as a function of propagation time, we apply a multi-frame x-ray radiography platform to observe and track the jet transport dynamics. A synchrotron x-ray source allows us to perform quantitative analyses and comparisons between the eight images captured by the imaging system. Observation of a single jet through time allows the use of a cross correlation algorithm to independently track various regions within the jet and quantify the jet expansion over time using normalized area and normalized areal density values. Through a comparison with the calculated values of ballistic transport, these findings show less expansion than expected for ballistically transporting particles. This work combines multi-frame synchrotron radiography with image tracking to establish a foundation for future studies on jet transport and particle interaction dynamics.