EPSRC logo

Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: GR/T27280/01
Title: Opacity measurements at extreme ultra-violet wavelengths
Principal Investigator: Tallents, Professor G
Other Investigators:
Pert, Professor GJ Woolsey, Professor N
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department: Physics
Organisation: University of York
Scheme: Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts: 01 October 2004 Ends: 30 September 2007 Value (£): 407,481
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Lasers & Optics Plasmas - Laser & Fusion
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Aerospace, Defence and Marine
Related Grants:
Panel History:  
Summary on Grant Application Form
We are proposing to use recently developed saturated x-ray lasers and multi-layer mirror optics to measure the absolute opacity of solid density, high temperature materials. It has not been possible previously to measure directly the opacity of materials at high density and at temperatures > 60 eV because intense emission from such samples is brighter than the available backlighter source radiation used to make the opacity measurement. However, as x-ray lasers are extremely bright, collimated and of extreme narrow bandwidth, multi-layer mirrors with moderate spectral selectivity can be employed to image x-ray laser transmission through the samples with x-ray laser flux >> background sample emission. A feasibility study of the measurement of iron opacity is summarised in the Case for Support and shows that opacities at photon energies in the extreme ultra-violet (EUV) range can be measured for sample densities around solid and temperatures from 5 - 1000 eV. The experiments will be undertaken at large laser facilities such as the Central Laser Facility, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory using lasers to pump the x-ray lasing at photon energies from 59 eV to 170 eV andwith the sample materials heated either directly by infra-red radiation or by x-rays from hohlraum cavities. Opacity measurements with a conventional broad band backlighter will be undertaken simultaneously with an x-ray laser opacity measurement in order to compare the opacities measured by the two approaches. Concurrently with the experiments, a research programme to simulate the irradiation and opacity of the samples will be initiated to aid interpretation and planning of the experiments.
Key Findings
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Potential use in non-academic contexts
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Impacts
Description This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Summary
Date Materialised
Sectors submitted by the Researcher
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Project URL:  
Further Information:  
Organisation Website: http://www.york.ac.uk