Experimental equipment of the Laboratory

Experimental equipment of the laboratory

Experimental studies at the Laboratory are carried out at the PICO facility, which consists of two picosecond and nanosecond Nd lasers, a target vacuum chamber and a diagnostic setup for measuring the laser radiation and plasma parameters. Below: photographs of the lasers and the target–diagnostic complex of the PICO facility.Experimental studies at the Laboratory are carried out at the PICO facility, which consists of two picosecond and nanosecond Nd lasers, a target vacuum chamber and a diagnostic setup for measuring the laser radiation and plasma parameters. Below: photographs of the lasers and the target–diagnostic complex of the PICO facility.

The target–diagnostic complex of the PICO facility

Amplification stages of the picosecond laser (left) and the nanosecond laser (right).

Experimental studies at the facility 

Studies of the coherent properties of pulsed laser radiation using a developed slit interferometer and other methods:

• Experiments on the registration of interference patterns and the measurement of laser-beam coherence at the PICO facility in various operational regimes
• Studies of the amplitude and spatial-frequency responses of CCD matrix-based image detectors of interference patterns from the slit interferometer
• Development of a device for automatic registration of interference patterns with the view to investigate laser radiation coherence and methods of studying the correlation of radiation coherence and laser-beam spatial-temporal structure
• Measurements of the structure of laser radiation in the far-field zone with the view of finding beam’s speckle pattern determined by the high coherence of laser radiation
• Development of the prepulse formation system and laser prepulse formation system for symmetrization of ablation pressure in heating of thin-walled targets modelling the targets in laser thermonuclear fusion experiments
• Studies of the structure of heating laser radiation on the surface of a target (homogeneity of radiation of a target) in various laser modes (laser pulse duration and laser radiation energy were varied)
• Studies of the homogeneity of heating of thin-walled (0.5–10 µm) targets at various spatial structures of heating laser pulse without and with the effect of the prepulse on the target
• Studies of the effect of prepulse on target heating homogeneity under various experimental conditions (energy, duration and delay time of the heating pulse with respect to the prepulse were varied)• Studies aimed to develop methods of ablation pressure symmetrization and of increasing the efficiency of heating thin-walled targets at the impact of the prepulse
• Studies of the explosive and abnormal emission of electrons from laser plasma. Measurement of the spectra of charged particles from laser plasma
• Studies of hard X-ray radiation generated in laser plasma

Studies of the coherent properties of pulsed laser radiation using a developed slit interferometer and other methods:

• Experiments on the registration of interference patterns and the measurement of laser-beam coherence at the PICO facility in various operational regimes
• Studies of the amplitude and spatial-frequency responses of CCD matrix-based image detectors of interference patterns from the slit interferometer
• Development of a device for automatic registration of interference patterns with the view to investigate laser radiation coherence and methods of studying the correlation of radiation coherence and laser-beam spatial-temporal structure
• Measurements of the structure of laser radiation in the far-field zone with the view of finding beam’s speckle pattern determined by the high coherence of laser radiation
• Development of the prepulse formation system and laser prepulse formation system for symmetrization of ablation pressure in heating of thin-walled targets modelling the targets in laser thermonuclear fusion experiments
• Studies of the structure of heating laser radiation on the surface of a target (homogeneity of radiation of a target) in various laser modes (laser pulse duration and laser radiation energy were varied)
• Studies of the homogeneity of heating of thin-walled (0.5–10 µm) targets at various spatial structures of heating laser pulse without and with the effect of the prepulse on the target
• Studies of the effect of prepulse on target heating homogeneity under various experimental conditions (energy, duration and delay time of the heating pulse with respect to the prepulse were varied)• Studies aimed to develop methods of ablation pressure symmetrization and of increasing the efficiency of heating thin-walled targets at the impact of the prepulse
• Studies of the explosive and abnormal emission of electrons from laser plasma. Measurement of the spectra of charged particles from laser plasma
• Studies of hard X-ray radiation generated in laser plasma