Measurement and Analysis of Near-Classical Thermal Transport in One-Micron Laser-Irradiated Spherical Plasmas

Abstract

Solid spherical layered targets have been uniformly illuminated at irradiances of ${10}^{14}$ to ${10}^{15}$ W/${\mathrm{cm}}^2$. Extensive diagnostics including time-resolved x-ray emission and optical probing were used to determine the plasma ablation rate and the plasma blowoff conditions. Comparisons with hydrodynamic simulations show that the thermal conduction is well characterized by a flux limit $f_e=0.08\mathrm{}\pm 0.02$, with a steep temperature gradient. The steepness of the heat front was confirmed with time-resolved spectroscopy.