Accurate determination of the charge state distribution in a well characterized highly ionized Au plasma

The density, temperature and charge state distribution are accurately deter mined in a highly ionized non-LTE Au sample. Laser heated Au microdots buri ed in a thin Be foil, reach temperatures of 2 keV and ionize into the M-she ll. During expansion, the tamped Au samples remain uniform and in near stea dy-state ionization equilibrium. The electron temperature is measured with time and space resolved Thomson scattering while the density is determined from time-gated X-ray imaging the expanded Au sample. The charge state dist ribution is obtained from analysis of emission measurements of Au 5f-3d tra nsition arrays in the wavelength range 3.3-3.9 Angstrom, allowing the avera ge charge to be determined to within similar to 1 % accuracy. (C) 2000 Publ ished by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.