Review of some research into laser thermonuclear fusion carried out in Russian Federal Nuclear Center (RFNC-VNIIEF) within the last several years is presented. The review begins with a brief survey into ICF development in RFNC-VNIIEF starting from A.D. Sakharov and S.B. Kormer's pioneer proposals of the 1960s. The review concludes with the exposition of historical background of the 10 TW ISKRA-4 and 100 TW ISKRA-5 laser facilities creation and with the prospects of the 300 kJ ISKRA-6 (λ= 0.35 μm) laser development. The results of survey carried out at the ISKRA-5 facility are presented in the review. The high degree of symmetry (nonuniformity < 3%) of irradiation of a DT-shell by the X-ray emission made it possible to successfully conduct experiments with the asymmetrical shells. The asymmetry was effected through the asymmetrical Mg layers deposition on a spherically uniform glass shell surface. The asymmetry impact on neutron yield and the moment of neutron generation was investigated. The line X-ray emission characteristics of the H-like and He-like Ar, Fe, and Al ions were studied in another set of experiments. Ar was doped into DT-gas, while Fe and Al were deposited on the CH spherical hohlraums' inner surface. Development of the Cherenkov radiation generator in which the electron motion is actuated by the faster-than-light X-ray pulse motion on the surface of a plane sample, being under voltage, is reported. And in fine a brief description of experiments carried out at the ISKRA-4 facility under the program of turbulent mixing in plane multi layer targets is presented.

Resonant absorption of first-overtone (FO) CO laser radiation by atmospheric water vapor and various organic and nonorganic pollutants is discussed. Suitable ro-vibrational lines are selected for their potential use in traditional spectroscopic schemes of atmospheric pollution diagnostics. Nonlinear atmospheric absorption of intense multiline FO CO laser radiation is simulated and laser-induced changes in absorption spectra are demonstrated. Absorption coefficients of a few substances on several FO CO ro-vibrational lines are experimentally measured. A comparative analysis of spectral characteristics of an FO CO laser and an HF (DF) laser demonstrates that the potential of FO CO laser applications for spectroscopic detection of various molecular trace gases is greater than that of HF and DF lasers.

The nonlinear interaction of molecular matter with the intense field of a linearly-polarized laser beam, allows the study of not only the ionization dynamics of the parent molecule, but also the angular distribution of the exploding fragments. This is carried out by rotating the polarization vector of the laser with respect to the laboratory reference frame. The angular distributions for the CS2, CO2, N2O, H2S, and CH3I molecular ions, at intensities of about 1016 W cm−2, are presented. The distributions seem to be dependent on the molecule under consideration, but common features are that the peripheral atoms of the molecule are ejected along the ToF-axis, and the central atom perpendicularly to it, whenever the polarization vector and ToF-axis are collinear. It would seem that the distributions for the lighter of the molecules are partly due to alignment via dipole moments induced by the laser, as the distributions narrow as their charge-state increases. This is indicative of a larger torque acting on the higher-charged precursor molecular ion, via the interaction of the field with the laser-induced dipole moment. On the other hand, the angular dependence of the heavier molecules studied, are thought to originate from a dependence of the ionization/dissociation probability of the molecular ion on the initial angle made between the molecular axis and the polarization vector, that is, a preferential ionization/dissociation process. Spatial alignment in the laser pulse, in this case, is not thought to occur since the peaks do not narrow as the ionic charge increases. Finally, the results for H2S and also N2O are particularly interesting, since distributions for up to S7+ are presented, while the N-distributions show both a parallel and perpendicular component of the distribution. Neither of these results has, to the author's knowledge, been previously observed.

A method for developing invariant equations of state (EOS) for which solutions of the Noh problem will exist is developed. The ideal gas EOS is shown to be a special case of the general method. Explicit solutions of the Noh problem in planar, cylindrical, and spherical geometry are determined for a Mie–Gruneisen and the stiff gas equation of state.

Spectrum and energy measurements of X-ray radiation emitted by partially transparent Fe and Al plasmas have been carried out for thin-layered inverted-corona targets on the ISKRA-5 laser facility. The targets were plastic spherical (2-mm diam) shells of 4.6 mm thickness having 0.25 mm Fe or 0.65 mm Al thin inner coatings. The energy radiated in Heα and Lyα resonance lines of Fe and Al ions was measured as well. Experimental data and results of numerical calculations are compared. Measured laser light to X-ray conversion coefficient has been found to be essentially low, then calculated one for both Fe and Al coated targets. Possible reasons for this discrepancy are discussed.

This book treats the most widespread application of high-power laser materials processing, that is, CO2 laser cutting. Although called CO2 laser cutting, most of the content of the book is also valid for cutting with other lasers such as Nd:YAG or Cu Vapor lasers. The technology is described in a very useful style by emphasizing practical aspects and by replacing highly scientific phrases by clear, illustrative explanations. Nevertheless, this guide through the complex field of laser cutting is accompanied by critical physical explanations throughout the whole book. It should be emphasized that Dr. Powell is the technical director of two job shops on laser cutting, but has also been highly active in science for many years. This ideal combination of practical experience with scientific know-how is reflected throughout the whole book by highlighting the practical aspects of laser cutting, often accompanied by very critical scientific explanations. It should be noted that the present second edition of the book differs from the first edition, printed in 1993, only by several pages that had to be updated according to the state of the art.

Calculations of the double ionization of a model 1D helium atom interacting with an intense short laser pulse are presented. A substantial signature of nonsequential double ionization is found for all the wavelengths that are considered, from 248 nm to 1064 nm, provided that sufficiently short pulses are employed. We show how one can modify the size of the “knee” structure of the double ionization yield curve by varying the laser pulse duration. The underlying mechanism of the correlated double electron ejection is investigated and discussed.

This paper presents an analysis of relativistic self-focusing of a Gaussian laser beam incident normally on a plane interface of a linear medium and a nonlinear, nonabsorbing plasma with an intensity dependent dielectric constant. Considering the nonlinearity to arise from the relativistic variation of mass and the Lorentz force on electrons. Following Wentzel–Kramers–Brillouin (WKB) and paraxial ray approximation the phenomenon of relativistic self-focusing of the transmitted laser radiation has been analyzed for the arbitrary magnitude of nonlinearity. Change in the intensity distribution along the wavefront of the Gaussian beam, due to refraction at the interface has also been taken into account. The variation of beamwidth parameter with distance of propagation, self trapping condition and critical power has been evaluated. Numerical estimates for typical parameters of laser plasma interaction process indicate the refraction at the interface to have a significant effect on self-focusing.

A high brightness laser-plasma X-ray source has been set-up and is presently available at IFAM. A wide range of diagnostics has been set up to monitor the properties of the X-ray radiation and to control the main parameters including photon energy, flux intensity, and pulse duration. A beam extractor enables access to the X-ray radiation at atmospheric pressure. A simple, easy-to-use projection microscope has been built which is capable of single-shot micron resolution imaging with digital acquisition. Preliminary biomedical experiments show that the X-ray doses available on a single laser shot exposure of our source fully meet the conditions required for an important class of biological experiments based on X-ray induced DNA damage providing an ideal alternative to the long time exposures needed with X-ray tubes.

When this remarkable book appeared in 1992, it became an instant classic. Combined with its precursor volume by the same authors, Photons and Atoms: An Introduction to Quantum Electrodynamics, these works deftly illuminate the central interactions between light and matter. I refer the reader to the excellent review of Atom–Photon Interactions: Basic Processes and Applications by T.A. Brian Kennedy (American Journal of Physics 61(6), 1993, p. 572).

Detailed experiments on the energy and angular distributions of both electrons and protons formed from molecular hydrogen in strong femtosecond laser fields are reported. At the wavelengths 389 and 406 nm the ionization dynamics is governed by resonance shifting of molecular Rydberg states. Differences from this mechanism appear only at the very lowest intensities, when close lying resonances of the E, F-state determine the photoelectron pattern in resonant enhanced ionization, and at very high intensities, when tunnel ionization suppresses molecular details. At wavelengths below 400 nm at intensities in the range of ≈1·1013 W/cm2 femtosecond pulses are quite suitable for preparation of state selected H2+ targets in a restricted range of vibrational levels.

Experiments carried out at the ISKRA-5 facility have demonstrated high (not worse than 3%) symmetry of the X-ray radiation flux inside a spherical case (hohlraum). This fact gave us an opportunity for investigating into compression of the targets with the initial nonspherical geometry. The asymmetry affects both the total neutron yield and the moment of neutrons generation. In this paper we present the simulation results of the asymmetric targets dynamics which were carried out by means of the 2D MIMOZA-ND code. This code allows to take into account effects of nonstationary, nonequilibrium, spectral transfer of X-ray radiation. Comparison between simulation results and experimental data was made. It was demonstrated that one could observe a satisfactory agreement between experimental data and the total neutron yield, as well as the time delay of the moment of neutrons generation.

It is important to ameliorate the early time imprinting of nonuniformities due to laser radiation or target shell surface in an inertial confinement fusion (ICF) scheme. However, they will not prevent the instabilities which originate at the ablation surface due to acceleration of high density plasma by low density plasma. One of the methods discussed here is to combat the growth of instabilities at the ablation surface. The present work is aimed to control growth of hydrodynamic instability in laser irradiated target at moderate intensities. Laser (λ = 1.06 μm) radiation was focused on the plastic (base) target seeded with microinclusions of Al and Au at various concentrations. Targets had planar geometry and were of few microns in thickness. The target stability was studied using the optical backlighting technique. Shadowgrams of the seeded targets show a uniform motion of the target rear, whereas pure plastic targets break up under identical conditions. Results are analyzed by considering the X-radiation transport, coherent structure effects of the plasma like vortices, self-generated magnetic field in the accelerated target, and nonlinear conversion of long wavelength perturbation into short wavelength perturbation.

We present a numerical study of the stabilization process for a fully correlated two-electron model atom in an intense laser pulse. A comparison with calculations for a “real” 3D He atom is also done. We concentrate on the very high frequency regime, where the photon energy exceeds the ionization energy of both electrons, outer and inner. Our results show that when correlation effects are included the ionization probability (IP) is enhanced. Nevertheless, we still observe a decreasing IP within a certain intensity domain. The results from the fully correlated simulations are compared with those from simpler, approximate models. The full numerical treatment for the He atom is not yet possible. We therefore present results obtained with “single active electron” approximation and time-dependent density functional theory. Our numerical simulations can be useful for the future understanding of the stabilization phenomenon for more-than-one electron atoms.

This book succeeds in providing an experimentalist's view of quantum optics, complementing the many standard texts which take a theoretical point of view (see, e.g., M.O. Scully and M.S. Zubairy Quantum Optics, Cambridge University Press, 1997). As the title indicates, the book focuses mainly on experimental efforts and the realistic conditions of experimental tests. The choice of topics was clearly the result of the author's experience in the field of experimental quantum optics and a solid understanding of the pedagogical requirements of the material.

The ultra-fast ablation of a graphite target using high repetition rate Nd:YAG lasers allows us to deposit two distinctly different carbonaceous structures, depending on the ambient Ar pressure: a diamond-like carbon film with the surface finish down to atomic level at a pressure below 0.1 Torr, and a fractal C nanofoam with air-like density and diamond-like resistivity at higher pressure. The experimental characterization of vapors and carbonaceous materials produced is presented and compared to the theoretical predictions. The analysis of the formation conditions leads to the qualitative understanding of the formation mechanism for both C structures.

Results for the energy spectra of the electrons scattered on a potential in the presence of a bichromatic field of frequencies ω and 2ω are obtained based on 1D numerical integration of the time dependent Schrödinger equation. Both the perturbative and the nonperturbative regimes are investigated for low scattering energies and a laser frequency that is close to that of CO2 lasers. Special attention is paid to the influence of the relative phase between the harmonic and the laser field on the features of the laser-assisted signals.

This monograph, updated from the first edition of 1994, is a thorough and timely addition to the increasing set of texts on microsystems technology (MST). It is valuable since it concentrates on a vital area of development—laser MST techniques—and presents a detailed overview of many of the applications areas in this rapidly expanding field.

The results of numerical simulation of spontaneous magnetic field generation and the influence of this field on laser produced plasma jet expansion in vacuum and low density gas are presented. The numerical simulation has been carried out using 2D MHD code for the case of an Al plate of 5 μm thickness irradiated by an Nd laser. The laser pulse duration was 0.5 ns at half-width, laser irradiation intensity was up to 1013 W/cm2 and laser focal spot diameter was about 100 μm. According to the received results, the magnetic field amplitude achieves the value of 150 kGs. This fact has no considerable influence on the temperature maximum in laser produced plasma, but significantly affects the process of the energy transport from plasma jet to low density gas. Shock wave generated magnetic field with reversal profile can be achieved in the case of plasma propagating into background gas.

Gamma emission spectra are investigated when excited-state nuclei in a static magnetic field interact with radio frequency (RF) radiation fields. The “dressed” state concept, developed in quantum electronics, is applied to this situation. The nuclear Zeeman levels are coupled by means of a quantized RF-radiation field. The total system consists of the nucleus, the static magnetic field, and the RF-radiation field. The energy levels and corresponding eigenstates of the system are calculated as a function of the frequency of the radiation field and the magnitude of the RF magnetic flux density. Emission spectra are calculated for the 57Fe case as a function of the frequency, the magnitude of the magnetic flux density of the RF-radiation field, as well as the photon emission direction.