Determination of laser intensity and hot-electron temperature from fastest ion velocity measurement on laser-produced plasma

Abstract

Measurements of the velocity of the fastest ion emitted by a CO₂‐laser‐produced plasma were made, and it was found that the relationship between velocity and laser flux was given by V_i =5.7×10⁶ φ^1/6_l for single‐beam illumination. Comparison with computer simulation, ion velocity spectrum, and x‐ray data indicate that the hot‐electron temperature is given by T_h =7.5×10⁻¹⁸ V²_i. Measurements of emission from multiple‐beam experiments and from experiments at 1.06 μm wavelength are also described. Some simple models are used for discussion and correlation of the data.