Eur. Phys. J. D 41, 311-317 (2007)
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/e2006-00227-7

Study of the conditions for the effective energy transfer in a process of acceleration and collision of the thin metal disks with the massive target

¹ Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion, 23 Hery St., 00-908 Warsaw, Poland
² P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute of RAS, 53 Leninsky Ave., 119 , 991 Moscow, Russia
³ Institute of Plasma Physics AS CR, Za Slovankou 3, 182 00 Prague 8, Czech Republic
⁴ Institute of Physics AS CR, Na Slovance 2, 182 21 Prague 8, Czech Republic
⁵ Czech Technical University in Prague, FNSPE, Brehova 7, 115 19, Prague 1, Czech Republic
⁶ Warsaw University of Technology, ICS, 15/19 Nowowiejska St., 00-665 Warsaw, Poland

Corresponding author: ^a pisaro@ifpilm.waw.pl

Received: 5 April 2006
Revised: 31 May 2006
Published online: 6 October 2006

Abstract

Efficiency studies of laser driven thin metal disks acceleration using the first harmonic (λ₁=1.315 μm) of the Prague Asterix Laser System (PALS) and subsequent craters creation produced by collisions of these disks with massive targets are presented. Several different disks made of aluminium and copper foils with diameters of 300 μm and 600 μm and thicknesses of 11 μm (Al) and 3.6 μ m (Cu) were employed. Disks were placed at the distance of either 100 μ m or 300 μm in front of aluminium massive targets. The following irradiation conditions were used: the laser beam energy of 120 J, the focal spot diameter of 200 μm, and the pulse duration of 0.4 ns (FWHM). A three-frame interferometric system was employed to determine electron density distributions in plasma corona. Shape and volume of craters were obtained by crater replica technology and microscopy measurements. The aim of these investigations was to analyse conditions leading to the most effective energy transfer in the process of collision of the accelerated disks with solid targets. The overall efficiency of these processes was characterized by the volume of craters produced in such targets.