What is it about?
In this study, we have investigated laser energy absorption and x-ray generation in nanowire arrays irradiated by relativistically intense ultra-high contrast femtosecond laser pulses. We are reporting for the first time up to 86% laser energy absorption into the ZnO nanowires which is the highest reported value so far. Consequently, this unprecedented laser absorption in nanowires leads to the generation of very hot (similar to the Sun temperature!) and dense (solid density) plasma that in turn, it produces X-ray emission of highly excited Zn plasma.
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Why is it important?
Enhanced laser energy absorption in nanowires leads to the generation of very hot and dense plasma that can not be produced via traditional low absorbent flat targets. Generation of ultrahigh-energy densities using a small laser will enable ultrahigh-energy density plasmas to be generated in the table-top laser sources available in many labs.
Perspectives
Extremely hot and dense plasmas that are created by the interaction of intense femtosecond laser pulses with nanowires offer new platforms for both studying high energy-density physics and designing novel sources of femtosecond X-ray, electron, and ion pulses which are very demanding in research, medical, and industrial applications.
Ehsan Eftekhari-Zadeh
Friedrich-Schiller-Universitat Jena
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Laser energy absorption and x-ray generation in nanowire arrays irradiated by
relativistically intense ultra-high contrast femtosecond laser pulses, Physics of Plasmas, January 2022, American Institute of Physics,
DOI: 10.1063/5.0064364.
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