Time-resolved Thomson scattering on high-intensity laser-produced hot dense helium plasmas

Abstract

The introduction of brilliant free-electron lasers enables new pump-probe experiments to characterize warm and hot dense matter states, i.e. systems at solid-like densities and temperatures of one to several hundred eV. Such extreme conditions are relevant for high-energy density studies such as, e.g., in planetary physics and inertial confinement fusion. We consider here a liquid helium jet pumped with a high-intensity optical short-pulse laser that is subsequently probed with brilliant soft x-ray radiation. The optical short-pulse laser generates a strongly inhomogeneous helium plasma which is characterized with particle-in-cell simulations. We derive the respective Thomson scattering spectrum based on the Born-Mermin approximation for the dynamic structure factor considering the full density and temperature-dependent Thomson scattering cross section throughout the target. We observe plasmon modes that are generated in the interior of the target and study their temporal evolution. Such pump-probe experiments are promising tools to measure the important plasma parameters density and temperature. The method described here can be applied to various pump-probe scenarios by combining optical lasers, soft x-rays and hard x-ray sources. © IOP Publishing and Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft.