Ionization balance in inertial confinement fusion hohlraums - art. no. 045002

We present the first x-ray spectroscopic measurements of the ionization bal ance in inertial confinement fusion hohlraums supported by 4 omega Thomson scattering diagnostics. The experimental data show agreement with non-LTE r adiation-hydrodynamic calculations of the averaged Au charge state and elec tron temperatures. These findings are consistent with the successful integr ated modeling of the hohlraum radiation fields. Comparisons with detailed s ynthetic spectra calculations show that the experimental ionization distrib ution is slightly shifted indicating nonsteady state kinetics.