Costello/Kennedy/Mosnier/van KampenNational Centre for Plasma Science & Technology (NCPST) and School of Physical Sciences, Dublin City University

CLPRResearch in Laser Plasmas

Outline The ‘Centre for Laser Plasma Research’ (CLPR)-

NCPST-Who are we & what do we do ?

Table Top’ Laser Generated Plasma Basics

Projects

NCPST/CLPR Who are we ?What do we do ?

NCPST/ CLPR - Who are we ?

NCPST established with Irish Government funding (Euro 8M) in 1999. Now EU Training Site.

Consortium of new and existing laboratories in plasma physics, chemistry and engineering

Fundamental and Applied Scientific Goals CLPR node is divided into 4(6) laboratories

focussed on PLD and photoabsorption spectroscopy/ imaging (especially in UV - X-ray)

Academic Staff (4): John T. Costello, Eugene T. Kennedy, Jean-Paul Mosnier and Paul van Kampen

Post Doctoral Fesearchers (5): Dr. Deirdre Kilbane (PVK/JC)Dr. Hugo de Luna (JC)Dr. Jean-Rene Duclere (JPM)Dr. Pat Yeates (ETK)Dr. Mark Stapleton (JC)

PhD students (8): Caroline Banahan (PVK/JC) Kevin Kavanagh (JC)Adrian Murphy (JC) John Dardis (JC)Jonathan Mullen (PVK) Rick O'Hare (JPM)Eoin O’Leary (ETK) Rebecca Treacy (PVK)

Visiting PhD student (2): Michael Novotny (JPM) and Philip Orr (JC)

The CLPR node comprises 6 laboratory areas focussed on pulsed laser matter interactions (spectroscopy/ imaging)

Funded by:SFI - Frontiers and InvestigatorHEA - PRTLI and North-SouthIRCSET - Embark & BRGSEnterprise Ireland - BRGSEU - Marie Curie and RTD

Research Theme

Probing matter with fast and ultrafast UV, extreme-UV and X-ray pulses

(Imaging/Spectroscopy in the UV - Soft X-Ray)

Figure from lectures notes of David Attwood, U Calif.-Berkeley

NCPST/ CLPR - What do we do ?DCUPico/Nanosecond Laser Plasma Light SourcesVUV, XUV & X-ray Atomic Absorption SpectroscopyVUV Photoabsorpion ImagingVUV LIPS for Analytical PurposesPulsed Laser Deposition (PLD)/ICCD Imaging and Spectroscopy of PLD Plumes

Aarhus/Berkeley SynchrotronsPhotoion and Photoelectron Spectroscopy

Hamburg - FELFemtosecond IR+XUV Facility Development

Part I - Table Top Laser-Plasma Basics

Plasma & The 4 Phases of Matter

Greek Philosophers Physicists

Earth SolidWater LiquidWind Gas Fire Plasma

Plasma: Fluid (gas) of electrons and ions

How do you make a laser plasma ?Target

Lens

Laser Pulse- 1 J/ 10 ns

Spot Size = 100 m (typ. Diam.) > 1011 W.cm-2

Te = 100 eV (~106 K)

Ne = 1021 cm-3

Vexpansion 106 cm.s-1

Emitted -Atoms,Ions,

Electrons,Clusters,

IR - X-ray Radiation

PlasmaAssisted

Chemistry

Vacuum orBackground Gas

Intense Laser Plasma Interaction

S Elizer, “The Interaction of High Power Lasers with Plasmas”, IOP Series in Plasma Physics (2002)

In summary we know that:Laser Produced Fireballs are-

Hot: Te = 105 - 108 KelvinDense: ne= 1021 e/cm3

Transient: ps - sRapid: 106 - 107 cm/sec

Dublin to Cork in 3 seconds !!!

We can tune temperature, density etc. so that theyproduce spectra to be compared with spectra from other laboratory and astrophysical sources !!

So now we know that laser plasmas are

hot & dense !

Laser - Astrophysical Plasmas - Solar Interior

Figure - David Attwood, U C Berkeley

Since a laser plasma is HOT - (Te= 10 - 1000 eV) and (say) you consider it to be a black (or grey) body, then most emission should be at photon energies also in the 10 - 1000 eV range, i.e., at Vacuum Ultraviolet (VUV), Extreme-Ultraviolet (EUV) and Soft X-ray (SXR) wavelengths !!

Figure from lectures notes of David Attwood, U Calif.-Berkeley

Laser Plasmas as VUV to X-ray Sources

Generally Extreme-UV Science & Technology is Growing Rapidly

Industry: LithographyBio-Medical: MicroscopyBasic Research: Astronomy

Our ThemesLaser Plasma Light Sources (dev & appls)

Instrumentation and techniques Imaging and Spectroscopy in the UV, VUV, EUV and X-ray regions

Physics of 1. 'Colliding Plasma Systems'2. Structure and dynamics of atoms and ions

DUAL LASER PLASMA (DLP) EXPERIMENTS

UV - Xray Source

AbsorbingSample

Dual Laser Plasma (DLP) Photoabsorption

FlexibleNeutral/Multiplycharged/Refractory Elements

x, T, I(W/cm2) Species choice

Relative Absorption Cross SectionNL =Ln(Io/I)

No tuning requiredNo vapour required

Backlighting Plasma Io

Both Plasmas I = Ioe-nLBacklighter

J T Costello et al., Phys.Scr. T34, 77 (1991),E T Kennedy et al., Opt.Eng 33, 3984 (1994)

Synchrotron - Photoion Results- BW3

Oven

TOF

UndulatorXUV Radiation

Li Vapour

Photoionization as a plasma diagnosticVUV Photoabsorption Imaging

J Hirsch et al., J.Appl.Phys 88, 4953 (2000), Rev.Sci.Instrum (in press 2003)

Pass a collimated VUV beam through the plasma sample and measure the spatial distribution of the absorption.

Io(x,y,t)

Sample

I(x,y,t)

VUVCCD

€

I =I0e−σ n(l )dl∫

ULtrafast Emission and Absorption Photography

LaserBeam

I-CCD Andor - Belfast<2 ns shutter time

TargetLensWedge

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are needed to see this picture.

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor

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Colliding Plasmas Generate a Secondary Plasma !

‘Colliding Stars Model System' - 'Colliding Plasmas'

The graceful shape of this nebula is the result of a violent interaction betweentwo stars. This image was captured by the Wide Field and Planetary Cameraon the Hubble Space Telescope.

Image Credit: NASA, Massimo Stiavelli, STScI ODButterfly Nebula

NGC 2346

Is that what's happening here ?

Photoionization of ions with DLP setup in DCU, e.g. Mn2+, JPB Vol 38, L1 (2005) accessed > 500 times in <50 days!

First two-colour DLP (LP Continuum + Panther OPA) photoabsorption expts on ions - tests for FEL+OPA ?

Negative ion beams in intense 800 nm fields (QUB/MPI/ DCU) Phys. Rev. Lett 93, Art. No. 223001 (2004)

Photoionization of ions in merged synchrotron-ion beam experiments (Aarhus - Orsay/DCU/John West)

'Clean'/ UHV laser plasma (dilute) ion source under development at DCU - possible source for synchrotron/ FEL expts ?

Laser plasma X-ray spectroscopy now available at DCU - Experience at 6 - 15 Angstrom (XFEL expt'l tests ?)

Some Other Current Projects

ConclusionsLots happening and projects in:

UV - X-ray Sources - Lasers, Laser plasmas, Synchrotron & FEL - JC/ETK

Plasma probing with UV to X-ray radiation - spectroscopy & imaging - JC/ETK/PVK

Pulsed Laser Deposition & Diagnostics (with SSL) - JPM/EMG/MOH

Lots of Int'l collaborations and opportunities to travel

Come and talk with us if you are interested in lasers, plasmas, optics and atomic physics