Temperature measurements of electrostatic shocks in laser-produced counter-streaming plasmas.

Collisionless shocks in counter-streaming plasmas, created by the high-power laser system Gekko XII HIPER, are investigated. The shock structure and density are measured by optical diagnostics such as shadowgraphy, interferometry, and streaked interferometry. The plasma density and temperature are estimated from self-emission measurements with visible light by streaked optical pyrometer and gated optical imager. Brightness temperatures are calculated considering the efficiency of the detectors, and electron temperatures are estimated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]