Ultrafast two-dimensional x-ray imager with temporal fiducial pulses for laser-produced plasmas

It is challenging to make an ultrafast diagnosis of the temporal evolution of small and short-lived plasma in two dimensions. To overcome this difficulty, we have developed a well-timed diagnostic utilizing an x-ray streak camera equipped with a row of multi-pinhole arrays. By processing multiple sets of one-dimensional streaked image data acquired from various pinholes, we are capable of reconstructing high-resolution two-dimensional images with a temporal resolution of 38 ps and a spatial resolution of 18 μm. The temporal fiducial pulses accessed from external sources can advance the precise timing and accurately determine the arrival time of the laser. Moreover, it can correct the nonlinear sweeping speed of the streak camera. The effectiveness of this diagnostic has been successfully verified at the Shenguang-II laser facility,providing an indispensable tool for observing complex physical phenomena, such as the implosion process of laser-fusion experiments.

A simulation package—SASAL for X-ray and EUV spectroscopy of astrophysical and laboratory plasmas

For the laboratory astrophysics community, those spectroscopic modeling codes extensively used in astronomy, e.g. Chianti, AtomDB, Cloudy and Xstar, cannot be directly applied to analyzing laboratory measurements due to their discrepancies from astrophysical cases. For example, plasma from an electron beam ion trap has an electron energy distribution that follows a Gaussian profile, instead of a Maxwellian one. The laboratory miniature for a compact object produced by a laser-driven implo- sion shows a departure from equilibrium, that often occurs in celestial objects, so we setup a spectral analysis system for astrophysical and laboratory （SASAL） plasmas to act as a bridge between them, which benefits the laboratory astrophysical community.

A small electron beam ion trap/source facility for electron/neutral-ion collisional spectroscopy in astrophysical plasmas

Spectra are fundamental observation data used for astronomical research,but understanding them strongly depends on theoretical models with many fundamental parameters from theoretical calculations.Different models give different insights for understanding a specific object.Hence,laboratory benchmarks for these theoretical models become necessary.An electron beam ion trap is an ideal facility for spectroscopic benchmarks due to its similar conditions of electron density and temperature compared to astrophysical plasmas in stellar coronae,supernova remnants and so on.In this paper,we will describe the performance of a small electron beam ion trap/source facility installed at National Astronomical Observatories,Chinese Academy of Sciences.We present some preliminary experimental results on X-ray emission,ion production,the ionization process of trapped ions as well as the effects of charge exchange on the ionization.

Laboratory astrophysics with laser-driven strong magnetic fields in China

In this paper, the recent studies of laboratory astrophysics with strong magnetic fields in China have been reviewed.On the Shenguang-II laser facility of the National Laboratory on High-Power Lasers and Physics, a laser-driven strong magnetic field up to 200 T has been achieved. The experiment was performed to model the interaction of solar wind with dayside magnetosphere. Also the low beta plasma magnetic reconnection(MR) has been studied. Theoretically, the model has been developed to deal with the atomic structures and processes in strong magnetic field. Also the study of shock wave generation in the magnetized counter-streaming plasmas is introduced.