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Updated: Sep 11, 2025

An Analog Macroscopic Technique for Studying Molecular Hydrodynamic Processes in Dense Gases and Liquids
Published on: December 4, 2017
Graphical user interface algorithms to retrieve cylindrically symmetric gas jet and laser-induced plasma densities
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Efficient and accurate characterization of gaseous jets and laser-induced plasmas plays a crucial role in implementing laser wakefield accelerator setups and other laser-plasma-based experiments. Interferometry is largely used worldwide as a diagnostic tool to measure these target profiles and densities. In this work, we describe the underlying algorithms of a publicly available software that retrieves the density profile of cylindrically symmetric gaseous jets and laser-induced plasmas from interferograms. Additionally, it can estimate the density distribution for asymmetric targets. Developed in Python 3.11, the software retrieves the integrated phase shift recorded in a laser beam as it propagates through a target and then calculates the corresponding radial density profile, along with its uncertainties. The software has a graphical user interface (GUI), which allows the user to refine calculations easily, as well as generate figures and data tables for external processing.
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