Nonstationary laser-supported ionization wave in layer of porous substance with subcritical density

A time-dependent analytical solution is found for the velocity of a plane ionization wave generated under nanosecond laser pulse action on the surface of a flat layer of low-Z porous substance with density less than the critical density of the produced plasma.With corrections for the two-dimensional nature of the problem when a laser beam of finite radius interacts with a flat target,this solution is in quantitative agreement with measurements of ionization wave velocity in various experiments.The solution compared with experimental data covering wide ranges of performance conditions,namely,(3-8)×10^(14)W cm^(−2)for laser pulse intensity,0.3-3 ns for pulse duration,0.35-0.53μm for laser wavelength,100-1000μm for laser beam radius,380-950μm for layer thickness,4.5-12 mg cm^(−3)for average density of porous substance,and 1-25μm for average pore size.The parameters of the laser beam that ensure the generation of a plane ionization wave in a layer of subcritical porous matter are determined for the problem statements and are found to meet the requirements of practical applications.

Characterization of bright betatron radiation generated by direct laser acceleration of electrons in plasma of near critical density

Directed x-rays produced in the interaction of sub-picosecond laser pulses of moderate relativistic intensity with plasma of near-critical density are investigated. Synchrotron-like (betatron) radiation occurs in the process of direct laser acceleration (DLA) of electrons in a relativisticlaser channel when the electrons undergo transverse betatron oscillations in self-generated quasi-static electric and magnetic fields. In anexperiment at the PHELIX laser system, high-current directed beams of DLA electrons with a mean energy ten times higher than the ponderomotive potential and maximum energy up to 100 MeV were measured at 10^(19) W/cm^(2)laser intensity. The spectrum of directed x-raysin the range of 5–60 keV was evaluated using two sets of Ross filters placed at 0°and 10°to the laser pulse propagation axis. The differential x-ray absorption method allowed for absolute measurements of the angular-dependent photon fluence. We report 10^(13) photons/sr withenergies >5 keV measured at 0°to the laser axis and a brilliance of 10^(21) photons s^(−1) mm^(−2) mrad−2(0.1%BW)−1. The angular distributionof the emission has an FWHM of 14°–16°. Thanks to the ultra-high photon fluence, point-like radiation source, and ultra-short emissiontime, DLA-based keV backlighters are promising for various applications in high-energy-density research with kilojoule petawatt-class laserfacilities.

The role of charge-exchange processes in probing hydrogen plasma with a heavy ion beam

Charge-changing processes of low-charged ions,used in hydrogen plasma probing by the heavy ion beam probe method,are considered.Along with the ionization of beam ions by plasma electrons and protons,the charge-exchange processes of ions on H atoms and protons are also studied.It is shown that charge exchange of beam ions on plasma protons and H atoms,which is rarely taken into account,plays an important role in beam–plasma interaction.New data on the cross sections and rates of ionization and charge-exchange processes are presented for Tl+and Tl2+ions,which are frequently used for plasma diagnostics.Calculations are performed for hydrogen plasma temperatures Te=1 eV–10 keV and densities Ne=1012–1014 cm−3 at relatively low and high ion-beam velocities vb=0.2 and 1.0 a.u.,respectively.Special attention is paid to the determination of the electron temperatures at which the charge-exchange processes on H atoms and protons are important.Multiple ionization of beam ions by plasma electrons and protons is briefly discussed.

Methods of controlled formation of instabilities during the electrical explosion of thin foils

The results of a study of the electrical explosion of aluminum foils with an artificial periodic surface structure created by laser engraving are presented.Experiments were carried out on pulsed high-current generators BIN(270 kA,300 kV,100 ns)and KING(200 kA,40 kV,200 ns)with Al foil of thicknesses 16 and 4μm,respectively.Images of the exploded foils were recorded by point projection radiography in the radiation from hybrid X-pinches.It is found that the application of an artificial periodic structure to the foil leads to a much more uniform and well-defined periodic structure of the exploded foil.Images recorded in the UV range using a microchannel-plate-intensified detector show that the radiation from a surface-modified foil is more uniform along the entire length and width of the foil than that from a foil without modification.

Laser-driven electrodynamic implosion of fast ions in a thin shell

Collision of laser-driven subrelativistic high-density ion flows provides a way to create extremely compressed ion conglomerates and study their properties.This paper presents a theoretical study of the electrodynamic implosion of ions inside a hollow spherical or cylindrical shell irradiated by femtosecond petawatt laser pulses.We propose to apply a very effective mechanism for ion acceleration in a self-consistent field with strong charge separation,based on the oscillation of laser-accelerated fast electrons in this field near the thin shell.Fast electrons are generated on the outer side of the shell under irradiation by the intense laser pulses.It is shown that ions,in particular protons,may be accelerated at the implosion stage to energies of tens and hundreds of MeV when a sub-micrometer shell is irradiated by femtosecond laser pulses with an intensity of 10^(21)–10^(23)W cm^(−2).

Restoration of the focal parameters for an extreme-power laser pulse with ponderomotively scattered proton spectra by using a neural network algorithm

A neural network-based approach is proposed both for reconstructing the focal spot intensity profile and for estimating the peak intensity of a high-power tightly focused laser pulse using the angular energy distributions of protons accelerated by the pulse from rarefied gases.For these purposes,we use a convolutional neural network architecture.Training and testing datasets are calculated using the test particle method,with the laser description in the form of Stratton-Chu integrals,which model laser pulses focused by an off-axis parabolic mirror down to the diffraction limit.To demonstrate the power and robustness of this method,we discuss the reconstruction of axially symmetric intensity profiles for laser pulses with intensities and focal diameters in the ranges of 10^(21)-10^(23) W cm^(−2) and ~(1-4)λ,respectively.This approach has prospects for implementation at higher intensities and with asymmetric laser beams,and it can provide a valuable diagnostic method for emerging extremely intense laser facilities.

A Model of Accelerated Expansion of the Universe Based on the Idea about a Hypothetical 4-Dimensial Substance with an Inverse Population of Energy Levels

Based on the idea of hypothetical 4-dimensial substance with an inverse population of energy levels, a model of accelerated expansion of the Universe has been developed, which describes Hubble diagrams with great accuracy for type Ia supernovae, quasars and gamma-ray burst sources at the Hubble parameter value of 67.7 km/s/Mpc, coinciding with the value obtained from analysis of inhomogeneities of relic radiation. Calculations at the Hubble parameter value of 73.5 km/s/Mpc, obtained using the ΛCDM model based on the analysis of data on type Ia supernovae and cepheids, differ markedly from the observed data. An explanation of the two values of the Hubble constant is proposed. It is shown that in this model, the magnitude of 13.8 billion years characterizes not the age of the Universe, but the time of propagation of light from those galaxes whose acceleration of removal has a minimal value. Based on the recently discovered curvature of the Universe, estimates are given of the lower limits of its size and lifetime, which turned out to be at least 270 billon years. The probability of transition from the excited state to the underlying energy levels of a hypothetical 4-dimensial substance, as well as the low of increasing energy density as a result of transitions to the underlying levels of this substance, is determined.

LiKGdF_5∶Er^(3+),Sm^(3+)单晶的VUV光谱和量子剪裁

报道了LiKGdF_5:Er(2%),Sm(0.4%)单晶在紫外激光(三倍频Nd:YAG激光,355nm)和同步辐射真空紫外光激发下的光谱特性,讨论了不同激发下Er^(3+)离子和Sm^(3+)离子的相对发射强度及其物理机理。通过真空紫外激发光谱的测量,确定了本材料中Sm^(3+)离子的4f^45d吸收带以及Er^(3+)离子的4f^(10)5d吸收带的能量位置。实验结果表明,当激发Er^(3+)的4f^(10)5d吸收带,可以产生量子效率大于100%的量子剪裁现象,并给出了其物理模型。

K_2YF_5∶Tm^(3+)单晶的光谱和能级结构

在12K的温度下,测量了水热法生长的K2YF5∶Tm3+单晶的发射和吸收光谱,分析了高掺杂样品中Tm3+离子间的交叉弛豫行为。用最小二乘法对实验能级进行拟合计算,得到了较好的均方差:18cm-1。此外,文中还给出了K2YF5∶Tm3+共振激发下1D2和1G4能级寿命的测量结果,并分析和讨论了掺杂量对能级寿命的影响。

基于XeF(C-A)放大器的混合(固态/气态)超高功率飞秒激光系统(英文)

提出了基于前端发生器和终端放大器,使用光泵浦XeF（C-A）激活介质的太瓦级混合激光器（THL-100）系统。前端发生器由长532 nm的连续激光泵浦的钛宝石飞秒脉冲振荡器,脉冲展宽机构,532 nm的脉冲激光泵浦的再生多通道放大器,衍射光栅压缩器和二次谐波发生器（KDP）组成。其光束输出参数为：脉冲持续时间50 fs,二次谐波（475 nm）辐射能量5 mJ。前端发生器以10 Hz的单脉冲模式工作。XeF（C-A）放大器由双高压脉冲发生器（线性变压器）,爆炸式阴极发射真空二极管,电子束注入系统,充满Xe的气室转换器和激光单元组成。高压发生器包括12个变压器,每个变压器有8个电容（40 nF）和火花隙,电容可以充电至100 kV。真空二极管中的电子束参数为：总电流300 kA,峰值电压550kV,脉冲持续时间约150 ns。穿透金属箔片到达Xe转换器的6个100 cm×12 cm电子束的总能量为67 kJ。激光系统通过泵浦能量的级联处理导致Xe2＊的快速形成,并在（172±5）nm连续辐射。真空紫外辐射通过CaF2窗口辐射到含有XeF2蒸汽和氮气缓冲气体的激光单元中,使XeF2光解,形成XeF＊准分子。由真空紫外辐射泵浦的放大器激活介质长110 cm,直径为24 cm。文中通过数值模拟给出了输出参数和第一实验结果,根据XeF（C-A）放大器参数模型和增益测量结果,得到的输出能量高达23 J,这意味着50 fs脉冲的峰值功率高达4060 TW。

Effect of fluence and ambient environment on the surface and structural modification of femtosecond laser irradiated Ti

Under certain conditions, ultrafast pulsed laser interaction with matter leads to the formation of self-organized conical as well as periodic surface structures （commonly reffered to as, laser induced periodic surface structures, LIPSS）. The purpose of the present investigations is to explore the effect of fsec laser fluence and ambient environments （Vacuum ＆ 02） on the formation of LIPSS and conical structures on the Ti surface. The surface morphology was investigated by scanning electron microscope （SEM）. The ablation threshold with single and multiple （N = 100） shots and the existence of an incubation effect was demonstrated by SEM investigations for both the vacuum and the 02 environment. The phase analysis and chemical composition of the exposed targets were performed by x-ray diffraction （XRD） and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy （EDS）, respectively. SEM investigations reveal the formation of LIPSS （nano ＆ micro）. FFT d-spacing calculations illustrate the dependence of periodicity on the fluence and ambient environment. The periodicity of nano-scale LIPSS is higher in the case of irradiation under vacuum conditions as compared to 02. Furthermore, the 02 environment reduces the ablation threshold. XRD data reveal that for the 02 environment, new phases （oxides of Ti） are formed. EDS analysis exhibits that after irradiation under vacuum conditions, the percentage of impurity element （A1） is reduced. The irradiation in the 02 environment results in 15% atomic diffusion of oxygen.

Sicilian serpentinite xenoliths containing abiotic organics with nanodiamond clusters as key model for prebiotic processes

Rock fragments from the deepest parts of a buried hydrothermal system belonging to the Mesozoic Tethys Ocean entered as xenoliths in a Miocenic diatreme,hence brought to the surface,in the Hyblean Plateau(Sicily).Some xenoliths consist of strongly serpentinized ultramafic rocks bearing blebs of abiotic organic matter,where clusters of amorphous carbon nanoparticles,including nanodiamonds,are immersed.Such an occurrence conjures up established hypotheses that diamond surfaces are suitable catalytic platforms stimulating the assemblage of complex bio-organic molecules relevant to the emergence of life on Earth.The appearance of bio-organic molecules under primitive Earth conditions is one of the major unsolved questions on the origin of life.Here we report new micro-Raman spectra on blebs of abiotic organic matter from a selected xenolith.Diamond bands were related to hydrogenated nanocrystalline diamonds,with size of nearly 1-1.6 nm,formed from organics at low pressures and temperatures.In particular,diamond surfaces can give rise to crystalline interfacial water layers that may have played a fundamental role in the early biosphere evolution as a good medium for rapidly transporting positive charges in the form of hydrated protons.Nowadays,proton gradients in alkaline hydrothermal vents along oceanic ridges are generally viewed as key pre-biotic factors.In general,serpentinites span the entire geological record,including prebiotic times.These hydrous ultramafic rocks often display evidence of abiotic carbon species,both organic and inorganic,including nanodiamonds,being also capable to give rise to chemiosmotic processes and proton gradients necessary to the organisms,such as the"Last Universal Common Ancestor"(LUCA),in the prebiotic Earth.

Statistical and quantum photoionization cross sections in plasmas:Analytical approaches for any configurations including inner shells

Statistical models combined with the local plasma frequency approach applied to the atomic electron density are employed to study the photoionization cross-section for complex atoms.It is demonstrated that the Thomas–Fermi atom provides surprisingly good overall agreement even for complex outer-shell configurations,where quantum mechanical approaches that include electron correlations are exceedingly difficult.Quantum mechanical photoionization calculations are studied with respect to energy and nl quantum number for hydrogen-like and non-hydrogen-like atoms and ions.Ageneralized scaled photoionizationmodel(GSPM)based on the simultaneous introduction of effective charges for non-H-like energies and scaling charges for the reduced energy scale allows the development of analytical formulas for all states nl.Explicit expressions for nl1s,2s,2p,3s,3p,3d,4s,4p,4d,4f,and 5s are obtained.Application to H-like and non-H-like atoms and ions and to neutral atoms demonstrates the universality of the scaled analytical approach including inner-shell photoionization.Likewise,GSPMdescribes the near-threshold behavior and high-energy asymptotes well.Finally,we discuss the various models and the correspondence principle along with experimental data and with respect to a good compromise between generality and precision.The results are also relevant to large-scale integrated light–matter interaction simulations,e.g.,X-ray free-electron laser interactions with matter or photoionization driven by a broadband radiation field such as Planckian radiation.

Bright betatron radiation from direct-laseraccelerated electrons at moderate relativistic laser intensity

Direct laser acceleration(DLA)of electrons in a plasma of near-critical electron density(NCD)and the associated synchrotron-like radiation are discussed for moderate relativistic laser intensity(normalized laser amplitude a0≤4.3)and ps length pulse.This regime is typical of kJ PW-class laser facilities designed for high-energy-density(HED)research.In experiments at the PHELIX facility,it has been demonstrated that interaction of a 1019 W/cm2 sub-ps laser pulse with a sub-mm length NCD plasma results in the generation of high-current well-directed superponderomotive electrons with an effective temperature ten times higher than the ponderomotive potential[Rosmej et al.,Plasma Phys.Controlled Fusion 62,115024(2020)].Three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations provide good agreement with the measured electron energy distribution and are used in the current work to study synchrotron radiation from the DLA-accelerated electrons.The resulting x-ray spectrum with a critical energy of 5 keV reveals an ultrahigh photon number of 731011 in the 1–30 keV photon energy range at the focused laser energy of 20 J.Numerical simulations of betatron x-ray phase contrast imaging based on the DLA process for the parameters of a PHELIX laser are presented.The results are of interest for applications in HED experiments,which require a ps x-ray pulse and a high photon flux.

Investigation of Al plasmas from thin foils irradiated by high-intensity extreme ultraviolet

Dynamics and spectral transmission of Al plasma produced by extreme ultraviolet(EUV)irradiation of 0.75-mm thick Al foil is investigated.The EUV radiation with the peak power density in the range of 0.19-0.54 TW/cm 2 is provided by Z-pinch formed by W multiwire array implosion in the Angara-5-1 facility.Geometry of the experiment ensures that there are no plasma fluxes from the pinch toward the Al foil and plasma.The same EUV source is used as a back illuminator for obtaining the absorption spectrum of Al plasma in the wavelength range of 5e24 nm.It comprises absorption lines of ions Al^(4+),Al^(5+),Al^(6+),Al^(7+).Analysis of relative intensities of the lines shows that those ions are formed in dense Al plasma with a temperature of~20 eV.Dynamics of Al plasma has been investigated with transverse laser probing.We have also performed radiation-gas-dynamics simulations of plasma dynamics affected by external radiation,which includes self-consistent radiation transport in a plasma shell.The simulations show good agreement with an experimental absorption spectrum and with experimental data concerning plasma dynamics,as well as with the analysis of line absorption spectrum.This confirms the correctness of the physical model underlying these simulations.

Dielectronic recombination in non-LTE plasmas

Novel phenomena andmethods related to dielectronic capture and dielectronic recombination are studied for non-local thermodynamic equilibrium(LTE)plasmas and for applications to non-LTE ionization balance.It is demonstrated thatmultichannel autoionization and radiative decay strongly suppress higher-order contributions to the total dielectronic recombination rates,which are overestimated by standard approaches by orders of magnitude.Excited-state coupling of dielectronic capture is shown to be much more important than ground-state contributions,and electron collisional excitation is also identified as a mechanism driving effective dielectronic recombination.A theoretical description of the effect of angularmomentum-changing collisions on dielectronic recombination is developed from an atomic kinetic point of view and is visualized with a simple analytical model.The perturbation of the autoionizing states due to electric fields is discussed with respect to ionization potential depression and perturbation of symmetry properties of autoionizationmatrix elements.The first steps in the development of statistical methods are presented and are realized in the framework of a local plasma frequency approach.Finally,the impact of collisional–radiative processes and atomic population kinetics on dielectronic recombination is critically discussed,and simple analytical formulas are presented.

Search for giant pulses of radio pulsars at frequency 111 MHz with LPA radio telescope

We have used the unique low frequency sensitivity of the Large Phased Array （LPA） radio telescope of Pushchino Radio Astronomy Observatory to collect a dataset consisting of single pulse observations of second period pulsars in the Northern Hemisphere. During observation sessions in 2011- 2017, we collected data on 71 pulsars at a frequency of 111 MHz using a digital pulsar receiver. We have discovered Giant Radio Pulses （GRPs） from pulsars B0301＋09 and B 1237＋25, and confirmed earlier reported generation of anomalously strong （probable giant） pulses from B 1133＋16 in a statistically significant dataset. Data for these pulsars and from B0950＋08 and B 1112＋50, earlier reported as pulsars generating GRPs, were analyzed to evaluate their behavior over long time intervals. It was found that the statistical criterion （power-law spectrum of GRP distribution of energy and peak flux density） seems not to be strict for pulsars with a low magnetic field at their light cylinder. Moreover, spectra of some of these pulsars demonstrate unstable behavior with time and have a complex multicomponent shape. In the dataset for B0950＋08, we have detected the strongest GRP from a pulsar with a low magnetic field at its light cylinder ever reported, having a peak flux density as strong as 16.8 kJy.

Quantitative evaluation of LAL productivity of colloidal nanomaterials:Which laser pulse width is more productive,ergonomic,and economic?

Near-IR(wavelength≈1μm)laser ablation of bulk,chemically-inert gold in water was compared for different laser pulse width in broad the range of 300 fs–100 ns,comparing a number of key ablation characteristics:mass loss,singleshot crater volume and extinction coefficient of the generated colloidal solutions taken in the spectral ranges of interband transitions and localized plasmon resonance.Comparing to related air-based ablation results,at the given fluences laser ablation in the liquid resulted in the maximum ablation yield per unit energy and maximum NP yield per pulse and per unit energy for the picosecond lasers,occurring at subcritical peak pulse powers for laser self-focusing.The self-focusing effect was demonstrated to yield in incomplete,effectively weaker focusing in the water filaments of ultrashort laser pulses with supercritical peak powers,comparing to linear(geometrical)focusing at sub-critical peak powers.At the other,nanosecondpulse extreme the high ablation yield per pulse,but low ablation yield per unit energy and low NP yield per pulse and per unit energy were related to strong ablation plasma screening,providing mass removal according to the well-established scaling relationships for plasma.Illustrative comparison of the ablation and nanoparticle generation efficiency versus the broad fs–ns laser pulse width range was enabled in terms of productivity,economicity,and ergonomicity,using the proposed universal quantitative criteria.

Radio pulsars with expected gamma radiation and gamma-ray pulsars as pulsating radio emitters

Pulsars play a crucial astrophysical role as highly energetic compact radio, X-ray and gamma- ray sources. Our previous works show that radio pulsars identified as pulsing gamma-ray sources by the Large Area Telescope （LAT） on board the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope have high values of magnetic field near the light cylinder, two-three orders of magnitude stronger compared with the magnetic fields of radio pulsars： log Blc （G） are 3.60-3.95 and 1.75 correspondingly. Moreover, their losses of rotational energy are also three orders higher than the corresponding values for the main group of radio pulsars on average： logE（erg s-1） = 35.37-35.53 and 32.64. The correlation between gamma- ray luminosities and radio luminosities is found. It allows us to select those objects from all sets of known radio pulsars that can be detected as gamma-ray pulsars with high probability. We provide a list of such radio pulsars and propose to search for gamma emission from these objects. On the other hand, the known catalog of gamma-ray pulsars contains some sources which are not currently identified as radio pulsars. Some of them have large values of gamma-ray luminosities and according to the obtained correlation, we can expect marked radio emission from these objects. We give the list of such pulsars and expected flux densities to search for radiation at frequencies 1400 and 111 MHz.

Uncertainty in measurements of the distances of scattering screens in pulsar observations

In our previous paper we investigated properties of the ionized interstellar medium in the direction of three distant pulsars; B1641-45, B1749-28 and B1933＋16. We found that uniformly dis- tributed scattering material cannot explain measured temporal and angular broadening. We applied a model for a thin scattering screen and found the distances to the scattering screens in all directions. In this paper, we consider more complicated models of scattering material distribution, such as models containing both a uniformly distributed medium and thin screen. Based on these models, we estimate the accuracy of localization of scattering screens and the possible relative contribution of each scattering component.