XUV and X-ray Probing of Warm Dense Matter
Lead Research Organisation:
Queen's University Belfast
Department Name: Sch of Mathematics and Physics
Abstract
In this research we are seeking to further investigate a very interesting form of matter called 'warm dense matter' or WDM. This is a state of matter that is expected to be found, for example, in the cores of giant planets like Jupiter and Saturn and to a lesser extent the Earth. The matter is characterized by being at high density (sometimes above normal solid density) and at an elevated temperature ranging from 10,000K to well above 1 million degrees. This means that the pressure is enormous, reaching several million times atmospheric pressure. Under these conditions the matter is not expected to behave either like a normal solid or like a classical plasma.
We will make samples of warm dense matter in a variety of ways. One of these involves using intense laser pulses to drive very strong shocks into solid samples, thus compressing and heating them. We will probe these samples with intense x-rays generated from another laser-plasma. This takes place on a timescale of less than a billionth of a second. The results will test the electronic structure of the matter under WDM conditions. In other types of experiment, we will heat solid foils with x-rays generated from laser-heated targets. This will raise the temperature of the solid matter to several thousand degrees. We will probe this matter with XUV radiation generated from gas-laser interactions using high harmonics of the initial laser wavelength. This will help to measure the degree to which XUV radiation is absorbed.
We will make samples of warm dense matter in a variety of ways. One of these involves using intense laser pulses to drive very strong shocks into solid samples, thus compressing and heating them. We will probe these samples with intense x-rays generated from another laser-plasma. This takes place on a timescale of less than a billionth of a second. The results will test the electronic structure of the matter under WDM conditions. In other types of experiment, we will heat solid foils with x-rays generated from laser-heated targets. This will raise the temperature of the solid matter to several thousand degrees. We will probe this matter with XUV radiation generated from gas-laser interactions using high harmonics of the initial laser wavelength. This will help to measure the degree to which XUV radiation is absorbed.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
David Riley (Primary Supervisor) | |
Cormac Hyland (Student) |
Studentship Projects
Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
EP/N509541/1 | 30/09/2016 | 29/09/2021 | |||
1786403 | Studentship | EP/N509541/1 | 30/09/2016 | 30/03/2020 | Cormac Hyland |
Description | Methods have been developed to more accurately measure the extreme-UV opacity of warm dense matter. This is a very technically challenging experiment, and until the data was analysed from the last experiment the effects of hydrocarbon contaminants were not fully appreciated. Limited data was available due to technical issues with the laser facility, but significant advances have been made in the process for analysing data. |
Exploitation Route | Several methods are available to remove the problematic contaminants, these could all be used on a future experiment. The feasibility of using a different gas to probe the sample was used; while this would collect data in a different wavelength regime, it would see much brighter signal than measured in the previous work. Even if changes were not made to the experiment design, the improvements to the timing precision made by the laser facility would greatly increase the amount of data that could be recorded, and hence a more reliable conclusion could be drawn. |
Sectors | Energy |