Achieving inertial fusion energy (IFE) requires laser systems capable of delivering hundreds of high-power, high-repetition-rate beams with exceptional stability. The ALADIN project (Adaptive Laser Architecture for Dynamic INertial fusion) addresses this challenge by developing adaptive laser control technologies that enable reliable, repeatable fuel compression in direct-drive IFE schemes....
Modern high-intensity laser systems are required to provide higher repetition rate, greater stability and higher output energy with increased wall-plug efficiency. In recent years, diode pumping has become a central theme in the development of new laser systems. With narrowband emission and precise current control, laser diodes offer higher efficiency and more stable output than...
In the worldwide pursuit of achieving energy production via inertial confinement fusion, the development of large laser infrastructures has experienced a renaissance. Advances in laser technology are being driven not only by the need to enhance laser performance and efficiency but also by the stringent requirements imposed by modern approaches to improve the overall efficiency of the fusion...
High-energy electrons have many applications, ranging from medical physics to fundamental research. Laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA) is a new method of accelerating electrons to high energies in mere centimeters, as opposed to hundreds of meters using classic linear accelerators. Electrons accelerated with LWFA can also be used to drive Laser-Driven Neutron Sources (LDNS). In this process,...
The Laser Ion Generation, Handling and Transport (LIGHT) beamline at GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH enables advanced phase-space manipulations of laser-generated ion beams. In recent years, the LIGHT collaboration has successfully generated and focused intense proton and ion bunches with sub-nanosecond durations, opening pathways to applications such as probing ion-stopping...
Electron-phonon coupling is a fundamental process governing the energy relaxation dynamics of solids excited by ultrashort laser pulses. While this coupling is often described in terms of an effective electron temperature, recent works have highlighted the important roles of both nonequilibrium electronic distributions and detailed phononic properties.
In this study, we investigate how...
Experimental and numerical results regarding underwater electrical explosion of single wires, cylindrical and spherical wire arrays and strong shock waves generation will be presented. Application of this approach for studies of high energy density matter, supersonic water jet generation, shock generation in a target and will be discussed as well.
The generation of coherent attosecond pulses of radiation in the extreme ultraviolet (XUV) range provides the required spatial and temporal resolution to study a wide range of phenomena involving fast electron dynamics. [1]
Single sub-femtosecond XUV pulses as well as near-PHz repetition rate trains of such pulses have been demonstrated from gas targets however these are far too weak for...
X-ray sources are of growing importance as a diagnostic tool for fundamental research in High Energy Density (HED) physics and Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) studies. These applications deploy so-called x-ray backlighters to probe the interior of the plasma, which should ideally have a low divergence, small source size, to achieve a sufficient imaging resolution, and high brightness to...
Advances in high-energy-density physics increasingly require well-defined, targets that can shape the interaction of intense laser and ion beams. Traditional target fabrication methods, particularly for low-density foams, often produce stochastic microstructures with limited control over geometry, uniformity, and feature size.
In this work, we demonstrate the use of two-photon...
Ultrafast optical excitation of metals induces a non-equilibrium energy distribution in the electronic system, with a characteristic step-structure determined by Pauli blocking. On a femtosecond timescale, electron-electron scattering drives the electrons towards a hot Fermi distribution.
In this work, we present a derivation of the full electron-electron Boltzmann collision integral within...
