Laser-driven strong shocks with infrared lasers at intensity of 1016 W/cm2

L. Antonelli , J. Trela, F. Barbato , G. Boutoux, Ph. Nicolaï, D. Batani, V. Tikhonchuk , D. Mancelli, A. Tentori, S. Atzeni , A. Schiavi , F. Baffigi, G. Cristoforetti, S. Viciani , L. A. Gizzi , M. Smid, O. Renner , J. Dostal , R. Dudzak , L. Juha, and M. Krus

Phys. Plasmas 26, 112708 (2019)

Abstract

We present the results of an experiment on laser-driven shock waves performed at the Prague Asterix Laser system (PALS), where the fundamental frequency of the laser (1315 nm) is used to launch a strong shock in planar geometry. The experiment aims to characterize both shock waves and hot electrons generated at intensities of 10¹⁶ W/cm². It is shown that, in these interaction conditions, hydrodynamics is strongly impacted by noncollisional mechanisms, and the role of the hot electrons, generated by parametric instabilities, is essential in determining shock dynamics.