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It was recently shown that the use of Coulomb logarithms appropriate for bremsstrahlung radiation (rather than transport processes) along with corrections for the Langdon effect and ion screening reproduced measurements of collisional absorption in well-characterized underdense plasmas [D. Turnbull et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 130, 145103 (2023)]. However, it was recognized at the time that the use of the standard absorption-reduction factor from Langdon's seminal paper was inconsistent with the use of Coulomb logarithms that are thermally averaged over a Maxwellian electron-velocity distribution function. A more accurate approach would be to average over the expected super-Gaussian distribution function while accounting for the Gaunt factor's velocity dependence, which somewhat mitigates the Langdon effect; however, at that time, this theory matched the data less well. This conflict is now eliminated with the additional insight that the ionization state of our mid-Z ion species (when present) was lower than had been assumed, as evidenced by the Thomson-scattering data and time-dependent Cretin simulations. We are now able to show that an improved treatment of the Langdon effect provides the best match to data. Otherwise, the prior conclusions remain unchanged. We also show an example of the substantial expected impact to the absorption rate in calculations of indirect-drive hohlraums. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influences of ion trapping and fluctuations of electron temperature and plasma flow on cross-beam energy transfer (CBET) are examined using two- and three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations in parameter regimes relevant to recent CBET experiments at the OMEGA laser facility. In mid-Z plasma irradiated by an intense pump beam and weaker probe beam, ion trapping, collisional de-trapping, and plasma flow induced by thermal effects are shown to affect the CBET gain. Ion trapping can enhance or detune the CBET resonance [Nguyen et al., Phys. Plasmas 28, 082705 (2021)]. Collisional de-trapping can affect the CBET gain at low seed beam intensity near the onset threshold for ion trapping. Thermal-effects-induced flow can also detune the CBET resonance at a level comparable to that from trapping at low seed beam intensity. As a consequence, the CBET gain is sensitive to collisions and dimensionality at low seed beam intensity where ion trapping is weak but is insensitive to collisions and dimensionality at high seed beam intensity where ion trapping is strong. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The compression of direct-drive inertial confinement fusion (ICF) targets is strongly impacted by cross-beam energy transfer (CBET), a laser-plasma instability that limits ablation pressure by redirecting laser energy outward and that is projected to be mitigated by laser bandwidth. Here, we explore various CBET mitigation constraints to guide the design of future ICF facilities. First, we find that the flat, Gaussian, and Lorentzian spectral shapes have similar CBET mitigation properties, and a flat shape with nine spectral lines is a good surrogate for what can be obtained with other spectral shapes. Then, we conduct a comprehensive study across energy scales and ignition designs. 3D hydrodynamic simulations are used to derive an analytical model for the expected CBET mitigation as a function of laser and plasma parameters. From this model, we study the bandwidth requirements of conventional and shock ignition designs across four different energy scales and find that they require between 0.5 and 3 ± 0.2 % relative bandwidth. Best mitigation is achieved when the beam radius over critical radius R b / R c is kept low during the drive while the plasma temperature is kept high. In a steady state, we find that the bandwidth required to mitigate 85% of CBET scales as (R b / R c) 2.15 L n − 0.58 I 0.7 , where Ln is the density scale length, and I the laser intensity. Finally, we find that the chamber beam port layout does not influence CBET mitigation. In the case of a driver using many monochromatic beamlets, we find that ∼10 beamlets per port is required, with diminishing returns above ∼20. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In cross-beam energy transfer (CBET), the interference of two laser beams ponderomotively drives an ion-acoustic wave that coherently scatters light from one beam into the other. This redirection of laser beam energy can severely inhibit the performance of direct-drive inertial confinement fusion (ICF) implosions. To assess the role of nonlinear and kinetic processes in direct-drive-relevant CBET, the energy transfer between two laser beams in the plasma conditions of an ICF implosion at the OMEGA laser facility was modeled using particle-in-cell simulations. For typical laser beam intensities, the simulations are in excellent agreement with linear kinetic theory, indicating that nonlinear processes do not play a role in direct-drive implosions. At higher intensities, CBET can be modified by pump depletion, backward stimulated Raman scattering, or ion trapping, depending on the plasma density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hot electron preheat has been quantified in warm, directly driven inertial confinement fusion implosions on OMEGA and the National Ignition Facility (NIF), to support hydrodynamic scaling studies. These CH-shell experiments were designed to be hydrodynamically equivalent, spanning a factor of 40 in laser energy and a factor of 3.4 in spatial and temporal scales, while preserving the incident laser intensity of 1015 W/cm2. Experiments with similarly low levels of beam smoothing on OMEGA and NIF show a similar fraction (∼0.2%) of laser energy deposited as hot electron preheat in the unablated shell on both OMEGA and NIF and similar preheat per mass (∼2 kJ/mg), despite the NIF experiments generating a factor of three more hot electrons (∼1.5% of laser energy) than on OMEGA (∼0.5% of laser energy). This is plausibly explained by more absorption of hot electron energy in the ablated CH plasma on NIF due to larger areal density, as well as a smaller solid angle of the imploding shell as viewed from the hot electron generating region due to the hot electrons being produced at a larger standoff distance in lower-density regions by stimulated Raman scattering, in contrast to in higher-density regions by two-plasmon decay on OMEGA. The results indicate that for warm implosions at intensities of around 1015 W/cm2, hydrodynamic equivalence is not violated by hot electron preheat, though for cryogenic implosions, the reduced attenuation of hot electrons in deuterium–tritium plasma will have to be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Broadband lasers have the potential to mitigate cross-beam energy transfer (CBET) in direct-drive inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments. A quantitative assessment of the bandwidth required for CBET mitigation necessitates the development of broadband ray-based CBET models that can be implemented in the radiation-hydrodynamic codes that are used to design ICF experiments. Two different approaches to broadband ray-based CBET modeling (discrete and fixed spectrum) are developed and compared to wave-based calculations. Both approaches give good agreement with wave-based calculations in ICF-relevant configurations. Full-scale 3D calculations show that the bandwidth required for adequate CBET mitigation increases with increasing scale and drive intensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measurements of laser absorption in high-temperature, underdense plasmas produced at the Omega Laser Facility are made using two near-field imaging detectors that diagnose the spatial profile and energy of the port P9 beam before and after it transmits through the plasma. The incident beam is sampled using a partial reflection from a full-aperture, (30 cm-diam) uncoated wedge pickoff located before the target chamber vacuum window and final focus lens assembly. A concave mirror reduces the reflected beam size, allowing it to be recorded directly using a charged-coupled device (CCD) camera. The P9 transmitted beam diagnostic (P9TBD) characterizes the transmitted light by terminating the expanded beam on a semi-transparent diffuser and imaging the illuminated surface using a lens and CCD camera. The P9TBD samples a numerical aperture twice as large as the input beam, allowing the energy of transmitted beams with moderate levels of beam spray to be measured accurately. Calibration shots with no plasma provide a path to infer absorption without absolute photometric calibration of either detector. The cross-calibration between the two detectors was measured to remain stable at ±200 ppm, enabling measurements of total beam absorption below 1% with ±0.07% error. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ray-based cross-beam energy transfer (CBET) models have become a common feature of the radiation-hydrodynamic codes used to simulate inertial confinement fusion experiments. These models are necessary for achieving better agreement with experimental measurements, but their detailed implementation can vary widely between the codes and often rely on artificial multipliers. To address this, a series of 2D and 3D test cases has been developed with validated solutions from wave-based calculations. Comparisons of various ray-based CBET models to the wave-based calculations highlight the essential physics that is required for accurate ray-based CBET modeling. Quantitative comparison metrics and/or field data from the wave-based calculations have been made available for use in the validation of other ray-based CBET codes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Light scattered from a target is the most-direct measurement for diagnosing laser absorption in a direct-drive implosion. Observations from OMEGA implosions show much larger scattered-light asymmetries than predictions. A new instrument has been developed to absolutely measure the scattered-light intensity and nonuniformity for the purpose of diagnosing the asymmetry. The scattered-light uniformity imager (SLUI) diagnostic records the variation in scattered-light intensity over a transmission diffuser using a charge-coupled device (CCD)/lens assembly. At the standard operating position, an 11.3° (f/2.5) cone of light is collected. A stray light baffle, debris shield, and antireflection absorbing filter are also incorporated into the diagnostic payload inserted into the target chamber. The imaging parts of the diagnostic (light baffle, vacuum window, filters, lens, and CCD camera) are located outside the target chamber. Five SLUIs have been built and deployed in OMEGA's ten-inch manipulator diagnostic ports, covering almost 5% of the emission surface, enabling an absolute scattered-light measurement should be within a few percent of the global average. Each SLUI system is calibrated offline, providing absolute scattered-light intensity measurements. Based on the measured point spread function, each diffuser plate image contains over 20 000 independent scattered-light absolute-intensity measurements of the variation over the collection cone. SLUI provides a platform to study scattered light and absorption asymmetries, and their possible sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical components for laser beams with high peak and averaged powers are being developed worldwide using stimulated plasma scattering that occurs when plasmas interact with intense, coherent light. After decades of pursuit of pulse compressors, mirrors, and other plasma based components that can be created by stimulated scattering from electron density perturbations forming on ultra-short time scales (e.g., via Stimulated Raman Scattering), more recent work has produced optical components on longer time scales allowing ion motion as well [via Stimulated Brillouin Scattering (SBS)]. In the most recent work, ion wave plasma optics have had success in producing pulses of focusable coherent light with high energy and fluence by operating on ns time scales and now promise to enable numerous applications. Experiments have further shown that in some parameter regimes, even simple plasma response models can describe the output of such optics with sufficient accuracy that they can be used as engineering tools to design plasma optics for future applications, as is already being done to control power deposition in fusion targets. In addition, the development of more sophisticated models promises to enable still higher performance from SBS driven plasma optical components under a wider range of conditions. The present status and most promising directions for future development of ion wave plasma optic techniques are discussed here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance of direct-drive inertial confinement fusion implosions relies critically on the coupling of laser energy to the target plasma. Cross-beam energy transfer (CBET), the resonant exchange of energy between intersecting laser beams mediated by ponderomotively driven ion-acoustic waves (IAWs), inhibits this coupling by scattering light into unwanted directions. The variety of beam intersection angles and varying plasma conditions in an implosion results in IAWs with a range of phase velocities. Here, we show that CBET saturates through a resonance detuning that depends on the IAW phase velocity and that results from trapping-induced modifications to the ion distribution functions. For smaller phase velocities, the modifications to the distribution functions can rapidly thermalize in the presence of mid-Z ions, leading to a blueshift in the resonant frequency. For larger phase velocities, the modifications can persist, leading to a redshift in the resonant frequency. Ultimately, these results may reveal pathways toward CBET mitigation and inform reduced models for radiation hydrodynamics codes to improve their predictive capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laser light scattered from a target is the most-direct measurement for diagnosing laser absorption in a direct-drive implosion. The 3ω gated optical imager beamlets diagnostic images unabsorbed light from all 60 OMEGA beams as distinct "beamlet" spots for each beam. The implosion can be diagnosed using the position and intensity of these beamlets. The position of each beamlet in the image is determined by refraction and can be used to fit the coronal plasma density profile of the implosion. The inferred plasma density profiles are comparable to the profiles predicted by the 1D hydrodynamics code LILAC but suggest that the predictions underestimate the density farther out in the corona. The intensity of light in each spot depends on the cumulative effects of absorption and cross-beam energy transfer along the beamlet's path through the corona. The measured variation in intensity and polarization between similar spots indicates that absorption during OMEGA implosions is less uniform than previously known. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A transmitted-beam diagnostic (P9TBD) was developed as part of a new experimental platform used to study laser–plasma interactions on OMEGA. Located in the opposing port to the wavelength-tunable (350 nm to 353 nm) UV drive beam, the P9TBD characterizes the beam after it propagates through an undersense plasma. The instrument consists of a large-aperture window that allows light to exit the target chamber and project onto a thin sheet of semi-transparent diffuser material. Light transmitted through the diffuser is recorded using a time-integrated camera and a fiber-optically coupled streaked spectrometer, providing measurements of the energy, power, fluence, polarization, and spectrum of the transmitted beam. The diagnostic enables direct observation of a variety of cross-beam energy transfer phenomena, such as wavelength detuning, polarization effects, and gain saturation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher levels of hot electrons from the two-plasmon–decay instability are observed when smoothing by spectral dispersion (SSD) is turned off in directly driven inertial confinement fusion experiments at the Omega Laser Facility. This finding is explained using a hot-spot model based on speckle statistics and simulation results from the laser–plasma simulation environment. The model accurately reproduces the relative increase in hot-electron activity at two different drive intensities although it slightly overestimates the absolute number of hot electrons in all cases. Extrapolating from the current ≈ 360 -GHz system while adhering to the logic of the hot-spot model suggests that a larger SSD bandwidth should significantly mitigate hot-electron generation, and legacy 1-THz OMEGA experiments appear to support this conclusion. These results demonstrate that it is essential to account for laser speckles and spatiotemporal smoothing to obtain quantitative agreement with experiments. A compilation of hot-electron data from the past two decades reveals several other important points: (1) many prior experiments are more easily understood using recent results from multibeam absolute instability theory and (2) experiments with ignition-scale conditions produce less hot electrons compared to OMEGA spherical experiments for a given vacuum overlapped intensity, which is a promising result for validating performance predictions based on hydrodynamic scaling relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A fast, accurate and stable optimization algorithm is very important for inverse planning of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), and for implementing dose-adaptive radiotherapy in the future. Conventional numerical search algorithms with positive beam weight constraints generally require numerous iterations and may produce suboptimal dose results due to trapping in local minima regions of the objective function landscape. A direct solution of the inverse problem using conventional quadratic objective functions without positive beam constraints is more efficient but it will result in unrealistic negative beam weights. We review here a direct solution of the inverse problem that is efficient and does not yield unphysical negative beam weights. In fast inverse dose optimization (FIDO) method the objective function for the optimization of a large number of beamlets is reformulated such that the optimization problem is reducible to a linear set of equations. The optimal set of intensities is then found through a matrix inversion, and negative beamlet intensities are avoided without the need for externally imposed ad hoc conditions. In its original version [S. P. Goldman, J. Z. Chen, and J. J. Battista, in Proceedings of the XIVth International Conference on the Use of Computers in Radiation Therapy, 2004, pp. 112–115; S. P. Goldman, J. Z. Chen, and J. J. Battista, Med. Phys. 32, 3007 (2005)], FIDO was tested on single two-dimensional computed tomography (CT) slices with sharp KERMA beams without scatter, in order to establish a proof of concept which demonstrated that FIDO could be a viable method for the optimization of cancer treatment plans. In this paper we introduce the latest advancements in FIDO that now include not only its application to three-dimensional volumes irradiated by beams with full scatter but include as well a complete implementation of clinical dose-volume constraints including maximum and minimum dose as well as equivalent uniform dose constraints. The method has been integrated into a commercial treatment planning system (Pinnacle, Philips Medical Systems) for beta testing using clinical radiotherapy cases and standard dose constraints set by radiation oncologists. Our FIDO method consistently delivered excellent treatment plans comparable and often better than those obtained using standard optimization techniques that are considerably slower. By design, FIDO is guaranteed to find a global minimum and will achieve highly conformal and homogeneous dose distributions without the need for artificial internal contours that must be created in conventional IMRT optimization systems to help the search engines better control some beam entry directions and in this way avoid the creation of hot and cold spots. This method provides a fast, intuitive and robust technique that yields excellent results for the inverse planning of IMRT. FIDO’s ability to efficiently optimize very large numbers of beamlet weights also makes it an ideal tool for the optimization of helical tomotherapy. Future gains in speed will make it possible to use FIDO for instant treatment plan reoptimization using CT images produced at the radiotherapy machine, just prior to daily treatments of the patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

References to the Shock Augmented Ignition concept in the original paper[1] (numbered Ref. 52) are incorrect and should be to Scott et al.[2]By A. Colaïtis; R. K. Follett; C. Dorrer; A. G. Seaton; D. Viala; I. Igumenshchev; D. Turnbull; V. Goncharov and D. H. FroulaReported by Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author [Extracted from the article]

A fundamental challenge associated with measuring Thomson scattering comes from the small scattering cross section associated with the interaction. To improve photon statistics, a powerful Thomson-scattering probe laser is required. Ponderomotive self-focusing limits the maximum power in the Thomson-scattering probe and was shown to limit the maximum achievable Thomson-scattering signal-to-noise ratio. Operating the laser at powers above the self-focusing critical power was shown to cause beam degradation, which reduced the amount of collected Thomson-scattered light. Using a phase plate was shown to improve laser beam propagation and consequently improve the signal-to-noise ratio in the measured spectrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent experimental and theoretical results have shown that crossing a probe laser in a plasma with a secondary pump can modify the amplitude, phase, and polarization of the probe in a controlled manner. Beyond fundamental physics, these results suggest that a pump-plasma based optical system could be used to amplify and control a laser pulse at high power, where the high fluence precludes using an optical system. This paper attempts to clarify the transient regime of such a pump-probe-plasma system. An analytical solution is derived to the coupled equations in the relevant regime, valid for any frequency detuning, coupling strength, and damping. Asymptotic expressions in the scantly studied off-resonance regime are derived. The time to reach the steady state is found to be roughly independent of the detuning. This time-to-steady-state defines the response time of such a plasma photonics system and can be made potentially much faster than traditional optics by controlling the damping of plasma acoustic waves. We comment on the steady-state assumption typically used to interpret current experiments and design future ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An advanced focusing scheme, called a "flying focus," uses a chromatic focusing system combined with a broadband laser pulse with its colors arranged in time to propagate a high intensity focus over a distance that can be much greater than its Rayleigh length while decoupling the speed at which the peak intensity propagates from its group velocity. The flying focus generates a short effective pulse duration with a small diameter focal spot that co- or counter-propagates along the optical axis at any velocity. Experiments validating the concept measured subluminal (−0.09c) to superluminal (39c) focal spot velocities with a nearly constant peak intensity over 4.5 mm. Experiments that increased the peak intensity above the ionization threshold for gas demonstrated ionization waves propagating at the velocity of the flying focus. These ionization waves of any velocity overcome several laser-plasma propagation issues, including ionization-induced refraction. The flying focus presents opportunities to overcome current fundamental limitations in laser-plasma amplifiers, laser wakefield accelerators, photon accelerators, and high-order frequency conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Broad bandwidth, infrared light sources have the potential to revolutionize inertial confinement fusion (ICF) by suppressing laser-plasma instabilities. There is, however, a tradeoff: The broad bandwidth precludes high efficiency conversion from the infrared to the ultraviolet, where laser-plasma interactions are weaker. Operation in the infrared could intensify the role of resonance absorption, an effect long suspected to be the shortcoming of early ICF experiments. Here, we present simulations exploring the effect of the bandwidth on resonance absorption. In the linear regime, the bandwidth has little effect on resonance absorption; in the nonlinear regime, the bandwidth suppresses enhanced absorption resulting from the electromagnetic decay instability. These findings evince that, regardless of the bandwidth, an ICF implosion will confront at least linear levels of resonance absorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An electric dipole moment function (EDMF) for OH has been derived by combining airglow and laboratory intensity measurements with recent high precision measurements of the dipole moments for v=0,1, and 2. This empirical EDMF shows remarkable agreement with the a priori MCSCF(7)-SCEP EDMF. However, it differs sufficiently to produce transition probabilities which are in much better agreement with observations than previously available sets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Provides information on a study that examined luminescence properties of GaN layers grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition on sapphire substrates with GaN/AIN double buffer layers or GaN single buffer layers. Methodology of the study; Results and discussion on the study.

Focuses on a study which explored photoluminescence and photoluminescence excitation spectroscopic analysis of Dy[sub2]S[sub3]-doped As[sub12]Ge[sub33]Se[sub55] glasses. Background on rare earth-doped oxide glasses; Description of the experimental setup; Results and discussion.

Discusses calorimetric studies of crystallization and relaxation of amorphous silicon and germanium prepared by ion implantation. Determination of the amorphous-crystal interface velocity; Interface velocity for crystallization on substrates; Advantages of ion implantation in the study of thermodynamics and kinetics of crystallization.

Presents information on a study which performed photoluminescence and photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy on samples of erbium-doped arsenic[sub2] sulfur[sub3] glasses. Experimental procedure; Results and discussion; Conclusion.