Absorption of Ultrashort Laser Pulses by Solid Targets Heated Rapidly to Temperatures 1–1000 eV
D. PriceLawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550Richard M. MoreLawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550R. S. WallingLawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550G. GuethleinLawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550R. ShepherdLawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550Richard E. StewartLawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550William E. WhiteLawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550
1995en
ABI
Abstract
We report measurements of laser absorption for high-contrast ultrashort pulses on a variety of solid targets over an intensity range of ${10}^{13}$ to ${10}^{18}$ W/ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$. These data give an experimental determination of the target energy content and an indirect measure of dense plasma electrical conductivity. Our calculations accurately reproduce the behavior of aluminum targets, while the other materials show signs of additional absorption mechanisms. At high intensity all target materials reach a ``universal plasma mirror'' state and reflect about 90% of the incident light.
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