Scaling of thin wire cylindrical compression with material, diameter, and laser energy after 100 fs Joule surface heating
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: We present the first systematic experimental validation of return-current-driven cylindrical implosion scaling in micrometer-sized Cu and Al wires irradiated by J-class femtosecond laser pulses. Employing XFEL-based imaging with sub-micrometer spatial and femtosecond temporal resolution, supported by hydrodynamic and particle-in-cell simulations, we reveal how return current density depends precisely on wire diameter, material properties, and incident laser energy. We identify deviations from simple theoretical predictions due to geometrically influenced electron escape dynamics. These results refine and confirm the scaling laws essential for predictive modeling in high-energy-density physics and inertial fusion research.
Source: Matter and Radiation at Extremes
DOI: 10.1063/5.0291405
Authors: L. Yang, M.-L. Herbert, C. Baehtz, V. Bouffetier, E. Brambrink, T. Dornheim, N. Fefeu, T. Gawne, S. Goede, J. Hagemann, H. Höppner, L. G. Huang, O. Humphries, T. Kluge, D. Kraus, J. Lütgert, J.-P. Naedler, M. Nakatsutsumi, A. Pelka, T. R. Preston, C. B. Qu, S. V. Rahul, L. Randolph, R. Redmer, M. Rehwald, J. J. Santos, M. Šmíd, U. Schramm, J.-P. Schwinkendorf, M. Vescovi, U. Zastrau, K. Zeil, A. Laso Garcia, T. Toncian, T. E. Cowan
Institutions: Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Technische Universität Dresden, University of Rostock, European X-Ray Free-Electron Laser, Center for Advanced Systems Understanding, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Bordeaux, Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives, Centre Lasers Intenses et Applications, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY
Language: English
Subfield: Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4416952543