Measurements of compressed core density of laser-imploded targets by x-ray continuum-edge shift

Abstract

The density of the compressed neon core in laser‐imploded neon‐filled microballoons was measured by the shift to longer wavelengths of the free‐bound x‐ray continuum edges due to the recombination processes e⁻+Ne⁺⁹ and e⁻+Ne⁺¹⁰. The results are shown to be in good agreement with those obtained by fitting Stark profiles to neon x‐ray lines. Density measurements based on continua will be particularly important at higher densities where most spectral lines of the neon ion would disappear due to pressure ionization.