Spatial distribution of soft-x-ray bremsstrahlung emission in dense layers of laser-produced plasmas: Study of the temperature gradients

Abstract

We report experimental results on the spatial distribution of soft-x-ray bremsstrahlung emission in dense layers of laser-produced plasma. Density and temperature gradients in the thermal transport region, between the ablation surface and the critical density layer, are discussed by comparing calculated and observed bremsstrahlung radiation for various laser parameters. In particular, it is found that the temperature gradient length is several times longer for 1.06- than for 0.153-μm laser wavelength.