HYDRODYNAMICS OF COLLISIONAL STRUCTURES IN LASER-PRODUCED PLASMAS

The formation and evolution of collisional structures in the coronas o f laser-produced plasmas have been studied by irradiating multilayered targets with nonuniform laser beams. Spatially resolved x-ray emissio n patterns and spectra were recorded to infer the temperatures, ioniza tion states, and time-integrated hydrodynamic histories of plasmas ori ginating from tracer layers embedded in the targets. The conditions of the experiment have been simulated using a two-dimensional single-flu id hydrodynamic code. The experimental results and code predictions ar e in good agreement, showing the stagnation of colliding plasmas in th e nonirradiated regions.